Son of Semele Ensemble presents

Melancholy Play

by Sarah Ruhl
directed by Barbara Kallir

 

RECOMMENDED by the LA TIMES, and a CRITIC'S PICK in both BACKSTAGE WEST and CITY BEAT, here's what the critics are saying:

The subject is sadness but the colorfully lighthearted treatment ...
makes you smile....
Thanks to pinball-paced direction, a crack cast of kooks and an eye-
catching pastel production design... there's sweet delight in the
theatrical moment.
--Charles McNulty, The LA TIMES

Ruhl’s lark has fun with the conventional wisdom that drama requires
unhappy characters ... staging is perfectly in tune with the play’s
tongue-in-cheek disposition.
--Don Shirley, LA CITY BEAT

Sarah Ruhl's wistfully romantic absurdist farce is an artful blend of
loopy Charles Mee, vintage Woody Allen, and cinematic surrealism in a
Bergman or Fellini vein....Bringing Ruhl's delicate work to life
requires keen sensitivity to her idiosyncratic style. Her plays walk
a tightrope between goofy humor and profoundly incisive subtext. In
the expert hands of director Barbara Kallir and a spirited ensemble,
this charming fable is a richly satisfying treat.
--Les Spindle, BACKSTAGE WEST

Equal parts funny and hopeful, the two-act, two-hour, fantasy-filled
production brilliantly displays Ruhl's ability to turn normalcy on
its ear while still making perfect sense. To succeed, it requires a
versatile actress who fully embodies melancholic Tilly. [As Tilly,
Kristen] Brennan possesses that versatility, and is mesmerizing in
every scene.... The supporting cast is equally impressive....
--Jeff Favre, DOWNTOWN NEWS

In Melancholy Play, a group of cheerful Illinois residents are shaken up by a melancholy yet attractive young stranger, Tilly, who works at the bank. Tilly’s aura of sweet sorrow draws others toward her causing them to fall instantly in love with her, but when Tilly becomes happy it wreaks havoc on their lives. Frances, Tilly’s hairdresser, becomes so melancholy that she turns into an almond. It is up to Tilly to get her back. Every scene is accompanied by an on-stage cellist whose emotionally resonant musical numbers are like an additional leading player.

Ruhl is one of the most talked about playwrights of her generation and was recently named a 2006 Fellow by the MacArthur Foundation. Her plays have been produced at theaters internationally and across the country, including Lincoln Center Theater, the Goodman Theatre, Arena Stage, South Coast Repertory, Yale Repertory Theatre, Berkeley Repertory Theatre, among others. She is the recipient of the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, the Helen Merrill Emerging Playwrights Award and the Whiting Writers’ Award.

at Son of Semele Ensemble
3301 Beverly Boulevard 
Los Angeles, CA 90004

Opening 02/01/2008	Closing 03/08/2008

Showtimes

Fridays & Saturdays @ 8PM
Sundays @ 7PM
Special Pay-What-You-Will Performance on Monday, FEBRUARY 25 at 8 PM

RESERVATIONS

(800) 838-3006

Visit Brown Paper Tickets to purchase tickets

Ticket Prices:

$10 if purchased before January 31st
$15 General Admission
$12 Students/Seniors

 

 

$10 Tickets available before January 31
Purchase tickets before January 31st and receive a $5 discount! Tickets avaialble thru LA Stage Alliance, GoldStar Events, and StubDog.

 

Parking & Directions: FROM 101 South: Exit at Silverlake Blvd; South (Left) on Virgil; South (Left) on Beverly Blvd. FROM 101 North: Exit at Alvarado; West (Left) onto Alvarado Blvd; North (Right) on Beverly Blvd. Street parking.

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