ANN NOBLE IS AT IT AGAIN!! DEAD MAN AT THE ECHO

  

Christian Haines, Robin McDonald, Ann Noble
Photo by Carolina Rodriguez

 Ann Noble’s “DEAD MAN”  catches another breath after  a very successful run at the 2026 Hollywood Fringe. 

Opening night at the Echo in the Atwater Theatre Complex was lively with an enthusiastic and  responsive audience.  
Okay.. it's a weird show, to say the least but it works. The guy sitting next to me was shaning his head.. and smilijg as the cast, Christian Haines, Jeffrey Johnson, Robin McDonald and Ann Noble took their bows. 

This time Ann did not have to sprint off the stage to  go to work in the now closed Antaeus production of Antigone.
Do we need challenging  art.  all forms.. to guide us to new ideas and new horizons?  Of course..  It's when dedicated artists opt to take a chance and to move forward that we break through, that  we  come up with  new ideas  and ceate some challenges and have some fun..     There are clown noses to puzzle over.

In my previous review of Noble’s Absurd meets Noir project I mentioned that Ionesco and Beckett don’t have much to worry about ..  at least not for now. but this work is solid, self referential and a little silly .. all in a good way.   I'm not a fan of authors directing their own work, but Noble's choices :  timing and choreography are dedicated to her  story.. Whatever it was!!  It mostly made sense and was fun.
Two more performances at the Echo.  

Take a break from the ordinary and see this show.  F**KING STRANGERS  is current in the same space.. Also, highly recommended.

The Echo Theater Company and Theatre Ghosts present Dead Man
• Written and Directed by Ann Noble
• Starring Christian Haines, Jeffrey Johnson, Robin McDonald, Ann Noble
• Produced by The Echo Theater Company and Theatre Ghosts

WHEN:
Tuesdays Only  at 8 p.m.: July 21, July 28, Aug. 4

WHERE:
Echo Theater Company
Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039

PARKING:
FREE in the Atwater Crossing (AXT) lot one block south of the theater

TICKETS:
$20
(a $1.75 fee will be added if purchasing with a credit card.)

HOW:
EchoTheaterCompany.com
(747) 350-8066

ECHO THEATRE COMPANY PRESENTS F**ING STRANGERS

 

Tasha Ames and James Tupper
Photo by Cooper Bates

 

 Wow! 

 Eric Patterson’s world premiere productuon of “F**king Strangers” lays down the F bomb with such ease that  I wonder what the current generation yells when they stub a toe?     We can say the word to ourselves, but we still use asterisks in text.        
Chris Fields’ Echo Theatre’s  new show examines a microcosm  of our society that emerges more into full bloom every day..
We meet Julianne, Mick, Ru and Dylan .  In a way they remind us of Arthur Schnitzler’s “La Ronde”.
  “La Ronde” is not exactly  a template for F**king Strangers, but there are a few similarities ..  
 On Amanda Knehans’ abstract bare bones  set we meet Ru. He is stuck on the 605.  We meet Julianne, an aspiring actress who does deep massage. Dylan is an on line fantasy fulfilment sex worker   and Mick presents with a little middle aged crazy.
Fields’ choice to bring this idea to the stage is brave. F**king brave.   Because the subject matter has to do with sexual activity and on line pay for sex shenanigans, it’s a world of porn that must exist but is so far out, I imagine that it’ll be a new experience for most folks.  
And.. You must go!  
As the story unfolds, we are taken to multiple amorphous locations where sex flows freely.   No holds barred.  Arm chair psychoanalysts will relish this world premiere and have fodder  for discussion of what transpires as transpersonal and transactional  relationships unfold in both the cyber world and the world of flesh and blood.. The story may fall to Jung’s ideas about archetypes or Freud’s take on early childhood trauma.
It all emerges in a sort of chambered nautilus spiral of sometimes very graphic experiences.  It’s funny and uncomfortable and sexy and touching.  
 Patterson’s development of these characters transpires graphically as it dawns on us who these people really are. The exposition, especially from Julianne (extraordinary Tasha Ames), whom we meet absently rubbing a massage client while extolling her true calling: the stage: Show Business!  Acting! Her chatty monologue tells her hopes to work at an actress (Menopausal Woman Number Three?) is natural and a little sad.
The on  line aspect of sex for hire is illuminated by the opening chat room back and forths between Dylan (hunky  Sean Luc Rogers) and Ru ( Michael Sturgis less hunky ) who has been holed up in his room for years.  Mick (James Tupper) is sexually conflicted and has difficulty fine tuning his role as a father.
The flow of the story works, thanks to Fields’s keen direction.
To discuss the plot would be unfair, but the situations and the extraordinary  exposition as the story unfolds results in genuine laughter and appreciation in the opening night audience.
We abandon our disbelief as the simple settings become locations that serve.   

 I liked the Whole Foods episode!.
 

Regardless of your sexual orientation, the story of humans being human is laid out in successful strokes.  Excellent casting shows in credible performances from each actor.
Be the first to see what may become a play that finds a broader audience.   F**king Strangers examines the essence of ‘the heart wants what the heart wants.’
Highly recommended.

CAST:

Tasha Ames           Julianne

 Sean Luc Rogers  Dylan

 Michael Sturgis    Ru

James Tupper       Mick

 CREW

Scenic designer Amanda Knehans, Lighting designer Matt Richter,

Sund designer M. Glenn Shuster, 

Costume designer Dianne K Graebner Fight choreographer Tristan Waldron. Jasmine Leung serves as production stage manager.

Publicity:  Lucy Pollak

F**King Strangers, 

A WORLD PREMIERE

by Erik Patterson. 

• Directed by Chris Fields
• Starring Tasha Ames, Sean Luc Rogers, Michael Sturgis, James Tupper
• Presented by The Echo Theater Company, Chris Fields artistic director

WHEN:
July 15-Aug. 24
• Previews: Wednesday, July 15, Thursday, July 16 and Friday, July 17 at 8 p.m.
• Performances: July 18 through Aug. 24: Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays at 8 p.m. / Sundays at 4 p.m.

WHERE:
Echo Theater Company
Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039

The Great Clown Bank Show premieres at Open Fist Theatre Company

  The Great Clown Bank Show
premieres at Open Fist Theatre Company• 

Hank Jacobs and Ensemble
Photo by John Dlugolecki

 

The Great Clown  Bank Show! 

The vocabulary of a theatre critic who heads to the venue with the idea that he’ll get a nice seat and will politely sit to see what’s what goes out the window. up the spout and into the clear blue sky  with the current offering at Open Fist Theatre in Atwater.. 

Wear a cup. Find a seat out of the splash zone.. or not.  Am I Speechles!  Over whelmed? Yes.
Clown Bank, I’ve been reminded.. may be attempting to reflect the long standing San Francisco Mime Troupe.  The SFMT’s goal has always been to tweek the noses of the Establishment  and boost the idea of ‘this land is your land..’
In broad strokes playwright Hank Jacobs (who also directs and plays the ringmaster)  and his company with song and dance and repartee and guest artists bring to light what many of us may have suspected all along.  Capitalism is a very beneficial thing… for the rich!! And! The Family Greedy, whose lives we share in  this bizarre  and windy hodge podge of politics and skewering...  succeeds. mostly..It is a supreme effort..
Harkening back to the days of traveling carnivals and circuses with side shows. we are invited to play games and have some popcorn!  After a musical greeting by the Ringmaqster, we  meet the Greedy Family  ready to fleece you at every turn.     

Attempting to describe this show is one of the most challenging  assignments I have ever had. The woman sitting next to me was psychic and that added to the jaw dropping business of Hank Jacobs’s show.  Jacobs  plays the ringmaster with basso profundo that would impress Don La Fontaine.  
It’s difficult to tell the players without a program.. and with doubling and guest artists?  Nigh impossible.   

Why am  I vamping?  It’s because this is a truly ‘must see’ event.. the preshow.. the drop dead gorgeous ten foot woman, the games and prizes (I won a ring!)..  and the incredible energy generated by a cast of thousands (I’m guessing about thirteen?) whether the polemic of the ills of capitalism and greed  don’t land .. well it’s not for the lack of trying! The cast being totally dedicated and immersed in the splashy shenanigans makes it all worh while. Please forgive me for seeming to hedge my remarks.  For a Sunday with an early curtain, the audience  was on board. The raunchy parts..were selectively raunchy and the message all boils down to something about just getting going!
Outstanding performances with Jacobs deep into his own production left me .. essentially flabbergasted.. The overuse of the term ‘awsome’ is not wasted here.  Awesome costumes and spectacular  dance routines set a fast pace that sends the audience into the night having been radicalized in a way that LennyBruce would applaud.   Over kill?  You tell me!

Please..  Go and see this thing. There’s popcorn .. enthusiastic vendors and don’t forget your Clown Bucks to play the games.
Highly recommend.. Come prepared to play.  Unabashed nonsense.. with a through line of a radical take on how capitalism  will rob you blind!
I’m  still reeling from the experience, the psychic seat mate and an over the top  knock down, get back up again couple of hours you won’t forget!

The GREAT CLOWN BANK SHOW 

Written and Directed by Hank Jacobs
• Music Direction by Robby Good
• Choreography by Raquis Petree
• Circus Music composed by Stephen Jacobs
• Original Songs composed by Michael Messer
• Lyrics by Hank Jacobs and Michael Messer
• Immersive Experience Design by DJ Handcrank
• Starring Tambrie Allsup, Davis Barber, Kevin M. Brennan, Amiée Conn, Elle Engelman,   Matthew Goodrich, Hank Jacobs, Carmella Jenkins, Torrin Kelly, Bethany Koulias, Avery Shannon Lynch, Clara York
• Featuring aerialist Avery Lynch and a different guest circus performer every week

July 3 – Aug. 1, 2026
• Fridays at 9 p.m.
• Saturdays at 8 p.m. 
• Sundays at 7 p.m.

Atwater Village Theatre
3269 Casitas Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90039
• FREE parking in the ATX (Atwater Crossing) lot one block south of the theater.

Content warning: risqué language and situations; parental guidance is advised for children under 13.

TICKETS:
$26-$40

HOW:
www.openfist.org
(323) 882-6912