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By the Way, Meet Vera Stark: West Coast Premiere of Award-Winning Comedy at the Geffen

(10886 Le Conte Avenue Los Angeles, CA 90024)
Verastark-091012
Full Price:
$37.00 - $77.00
Our Price:
$19.50 - $39.50*
4.3 by 142 members
Recipient of the Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark stars Tony-nominated actress Sanaa Lathan (A Raisin in the Sun) as titular starlet Vera Stark, a fictional celebrated African-American actress and activist. Set in Hollywood over a 70-year period, the pseudo-biographical comedy charts Vera's budding acting career as she lands a groundbreaking role in a new Southern epic, turning the industry on its head and paving the way for future generations of black actresses. By the Way, Meet Vera Stark was written by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage, whose recent works, Ruined and Intimate Apparel, have also garnered her an Obie Award and a New York Drama Critics' Circle Award, respectively. Part comedy and part social commentary, By the Way, Meet Vera Stark uses today's fascination with celebrity and controversy to get to the truth behind the legend -- who may never have existed in the first place.

* Additional fees apply.

All offers for By the Way, Meet Vera Stark have expired.

The last date listed for By the Way, Meet Vera Stark was Friday October 26, 2012 / 8:00pm.

Currently at Geffen Playhouse - Gil Cates Theater:

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Yes, Prime Minister: U.S. Premiere of West End Smash Hit at the Geffen

Full Price:
$57.00 - $77.00
Our Price:
$29.50 - $39.50

The Geffen Playhouse presents the American premiere of Yes, Prime Minister, the uproarious political satire fresh from an acclaimed West End run. Join Prime Minister Jim Hacker and his scheming Cabinet Secretary as they try to survive a chaotic weekend that teeters on the edge of catastrophe. With the entire nation on the brink of financial ruin, will the PM and his motley team of advisors resort to a morally dubious deal with the Foreign Minister of Kumranistan in order to avert potential calamity? Written by Antony Jay and Jonathan Lynn, creators of the 1980s BBC sitcom upon which the play is based, Yes, Prime Minister features a talented cast of stage and screen stars including Michael McKean (This Is Spinal Tap), Tony Award winner Jefferson Mays (Broadway's The Best Man) and Brian George (Seinfeld, The Big Bang Theory). Learn More

10886 Le Conte Avenue
Los Angeles, CA 90024
310-208-5454
26235613geffen

Goldstar Member Tips

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Yvette Coleman
Give yourself plenty of time to park, busy around UCLA.
info Feb 23 2013 star this tip starred
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Goldstar Member
$4 parking in the Palazz
info Feb 23 2013 star this tip starred
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Goldstar Member
$4 parking in the Palazzo parking lot - Just make sure to get a validation card from the box office!
info Feb 23 2013 star this tip starred
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Goldstar Member
Book a macademia nut cookie---it was stale and broken in pieces.
info Feb 23 2013 star this tip starred
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Goldstar Member
Parked in lot near in-n-out for $4.
info Feb 23 2013 star this tip starred
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Goldstar Member
Pricey snacks. Grab something at trader joes for intermission.
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Reviews & Ratings

142 ratings
4.3 average rating
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Mr-bill
36 events
15 reviews
5.0
attended Oct 01 2012

This play is well written, directed and acted. Wonderful staging as well. At once witty and humorous and thought-provoking. The commentary on black actors playing sterotypical roles is every bit as much an issue now as it was in the 30's, which is the time period for the first half of the play.

I really enjoyed it and highly recommend it!

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277 events
135 reviews
3.0
attended Sep 19 2012

Play depicts the struggle of black actors to break into film and to leave the stereotypical roles behind. It's a light-weight comedy, spoofing Hollywood, the press, and would-be authors of historical interpretations. The way the different scenes are intercut is creativce and interesting, the dialogue is often funny.

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59 events
6 reviews
5.0
attended Sep 19 2012

Sanaa Lathan was outstanding, she seemed to have transformed her character so convincingly from the first act to the second. The play is funny and thoughtful at the same time.

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All 96 Reviews

More Information About By the Way, Meet Vera Stark

Website

http://geffenplayhouse.com/more_info.php?show_id=166

Quotes & Highlights

Description

It’s Hollywood’s heyday and the streets of Los Angeles are filled with glitz, glamour and the chance at stardom — that is as long as you have the “right” look. But when former maid Vera Stark lands a groundbreaking role in a new Southern epic, she turns Hollywood on its head and paves the way for future generations of black actresses. More than five decades later, Vera’s influence on race, film and feminism has seeped its way into pop culture. But who is the real Vera Stark? Part comedy and part commentary, Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage’s West Coast premiere uses today’s fascination with celebrity and controversy to get to the truth behind the legend.

The running time for this play is 2 hours 15 minutes, including a 15 minute intermission.