Witty Literary Comedy Bunbury at the Long Beach Playhouse
Long Beach Playhouse - Studio Theatre (5021 E. Anaheim St. Long Beach, CA 90804)
- Full Price:
- $22.00
- Our Price:
- $12.00*
* Additional fees apply.
All offers for Bunbury have expired.
The last date listed for Bunbury was Saturday May 31, 2008 / 8:00pm.
23 Goldstar Member Reviews
Joseph Covey
This play was fantastic. The actors did a great job with the comedic timing. If you ever wanted to know what could have happened if Romeo and Juliet did actually live, this is he play to watch. A word of caution, changing history does have it's consequences.Written on Apr 21 2008
- 4
- 0
- 0
Michael D.
A lovely script, well staged.Written on May 28 2008
The acting was a bit too pushy, tending toward the pit-fall of the amateur.
- 1
- 0
- 0
Rosebud
The play is a very clever riff on the question "Can literature change the world?" Working from one universally known story and tweaking the ending, it explores the possibility that a whole different attitude might have bloomed across the centuries. The characters making the change are "everyman" types; they are part of great works, but so minor that they never even appear on stage in the stories. They are the utlimate pawns (and who hasn't felt like that at one time or another?)Written on May 27 2008
There are themes of homosexuality, but it's more a glancing blow, or would be if the character of Bunbury himself were less flamboyant, a choice of the director, I assume. The show is only 90 minutes and the cast moves at break-neck speed. If you are not a big theatre fan, some of the characters and references may roar by and the big resolution at the end was a little muddy because the sound was fuzzy (and I was in the front row). But the cast is talented and energetic, most playing multiple roles. The set is sparce but very functional with lighting that eases along the transitions. And there's plenty to discuss over coffee later. Worth a trip to Long Beach.
- 1
- 0
- 0
Maryan S.
The actors' enthusiasm couldn't overcome the self-conscious writing. Very often it felt like a graduate student's conceit gone a muck. I'm not sure if that was the direction or what. Clever but too long. In the end I felt somehow cheated.Written on May 19 2008
- 1
- 0
- 0
More Information About Bunbury
Description
When he finds out that he is only a fictitious character who never appears in The Importance of Being Earnest, Bunbury uses his double anonymity to infiltrate and alter classic literature, starting by accidentally giving Romeo and Juliet a happy ending. The resulting transformation of such classics as The Three Sisters, A Streetcar Named Desire, Waiting for Godot, and even Edgar Allan Poe’s "The Raven" spawns a new sub-discipline in literary criticism and may even change the world. A comedy that proves everyone’s life means something—even if they don’t exist.
By Tom Jacobson
Directed by Mark Bringelson
Playwright Tom Jacobson has had more than 50 productions of his works staged in Los Angeles and around the country, including The Beloved Disciple, Cyberqueer, and Degenerate Art. Recent adaptations of Sperm at Circle X and The Orange Grove at Playwrights Arena were a Critic’s Choice in the Los Angeles Times. He is a co-literary manager of The Theatre @ Boston Court, a founding member of Playwrights Ink, and a board member of Cornerstone Theater Company. He teaches playwriting and related courses for UCLA Extension.
About the Ticket Supplier: Long Beach Playhouse
Seventy-five continuous years of quality live theatrical entertainment have established the Long Beach Playhouse as a landmark in the City of Long Beach. The Playhouse produces 16 shows annually with a new play or musical every three weeks on the the Mainstage or upstairs in the Studio Theatre. Long Beach's flagship professional theatre cuts across age, gender, ethnic, and cultural boundaries while being entirely self-supporting through ticket sales and membership support.