Slowgirl
Escape is easy. It’s redemption that is hard. That’s the life lesson at the heart of Greg Pierce’s funny and introspective play Slowgirl. An absorbingly off-kilter onstage pair, William Petersen and Rae Gray star in this two-hander coming to the Geffen Playhouse March 4. When seventeen year-old Becky is shipped off to her Uncle Sterling’s Costa Rican home — a sanctuary to which he escaped many years ago — the two lost souls navigate generations, contrasting philosophies and a maze of regret. Geffen Playhouse Artistic Director Randall Arney reunites the same cast and designers for the West Coast premiere of this critically acclaimed production. With Arney as director, the play garnered rave reviews last summer at Chicago’s Steppenwolf Theater where the Chicago Tribune called it “Engaging, compassionate and well-written.” William Petersen has a distinguished background in theater, film and television. His feature film credits include To Live and Die in L.A., Manhunter and The Contender. On TV he was nominated for a Golden Globe for CSI: Crime Scene Investigation. He is also a member of Steppenwolf Theatre. Rae Gray is a student at the University of Chicago and has a long list of credits. Most recent TV appearances include Boardwalk Empire and Chicago Fire. Arney creates an astonishing “tennis court” William Petersen and Rae Gray design in the intimate Audrey Photo by Michael Brosilow. Courtesy of Skirball Kenis Theater at the Steppenwolf Theatre Company Geffen Playhouse that will allow audiences to experience the play from two sides of the action.
Till 20 April. 8pm. Saturday matinees at 3pm, Sunday 2pm. Tickets $57-$72 www.geffenplayhouse.com
The Pianist Of Willesden Lane
“Hold on to your music. It will be your best friend.” This was Mona Golabek’s family mantra. They were also words her grandmother said to her young daughter, a pianist, as the girl departed Vienna in 1938 via the Kindertransport to England. Golabek, a world renowned pianist, tells the story of her mother’s triumphant survival in The Pianist Mona Golabek of Willesden Lane appearing at Photo by Michael Lamont. the Geffen Playhouse beginning February 28. The show, a world premiere at the Geffen in 2012 was a huge hit, playing for six months there. Since then the show has toured the country, winning accolades and fans. The Los Angeles Times called it “A triumph…an undiluted privilege to witness.” Golabek was taught by her mother, Lisa Jura, to play the piano. “They were more than piano lessons – they were lessons in life,” Golabek recalls. In between Beethoven and Chopin, Jura would talk about the characters she met in a London hostel as a child. Jura’s parents and siblings did not survive the Holocaust. “Her stories were our folklore, bursting with bits and pieces of wonderful characters who bonded over her music.” Adapted and directed by Los Angeles audience favorite Hershey Felder, the evening is comprised of some of the world’s most beloved music played live. Till 19 March. 8pm. Saturday matinees at 3pm, Sunday 2pm. Tickets $37-$72 www.geffenplayhouse.com
“a toUr de ForCe For an aCtor at tHe top oF Her CraFt. ”
Ruth DRapeR’s Monologues Written by
ruth draper Featuring
annette bening
world premiere on stage april 8 – may 18 in the gil cates theater at the geffen playhouse
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