Stranger, a Spaghetti Western Musical from Bootleg Theater
Bootleg Theater (Los Angeles, CA)
Rated 3.2 by 36 members who went.
Set in the Nevada desert in 1847, Stranger is a new play written to resemble the "Spaghetti Western" films of Sergio Leone. It's also a musical. Filled with shocking plot twists, sardonic dialogue, numerous dance-fight scenes and piles of dead bodies, this bloody tale of a ruthless villain who terrorizes a small town promises a unique theater experience.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
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Most Popular Theater Event Nearby:
- Full Price:
- $85.00 - $90.00
- Our Price:
- $30.00 - $42.50
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25 Member Reviews
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2005
5 Reviews
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Unique theatre experience! Spaghetti western in an old warehouse theatre....you don't get that much here in Los Angeles! Just the right mix of caricature, cornball lines, and quirky plot without going over the top and losing the audience completely.
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Toedtman
Member since 2009
1 Reviews
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Now THAT's my kind of theatre-going experience! There's the venue, which I love, the bar and complimentary popcorn, and then the show itself. Entering the theatre from the lounge with a beer & popcorn in hand, the band is rocking out, Ennio Morricone style. And the set plus lighting is gorgeous throughout.
But let's face it, we're all there to see Lagarto, the Mexican villain who kidnaps the town sweetheart and turns her into a beast.
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MsCrabtree
Member since 2009
1 Reviews
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I saw "Stranger" last weekend and absolutely loved it. The music was great and it added so much to have a live band. The set was well conceived and imaginative and the script and actors kicked ass. Very fast paced, the audience was right with the actors for the whole show and gave them a standing ovation at the end. All the actors were wonderful but special kudos to Miranda, the villlain Legarto and the Padre. If you want to see something completely different from any other theater experience in LA, go see "Stranger".
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Polly Anderson
Member since 2008
3 Reviews
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Wonderful acting, terrific set design and costumes, passionate music. Evocative of the Sergio Leone movies but also some original and fresh plot devices, too (ie. Lucinda's brainwashing, Stranger's backstory)
We really enjoyed it!
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2008
1 Reviews
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Clever and inventive black comedy. Strong performances by the saloon-keeper and the villain carried the show. Definitely worth seeing.
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2008
32 Reviews
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bad writing, poor acting except for two people, negligible singing, poor stage direction(one of the crucial scenes is played way in the back where it is hard to hear the actors; if it wasn't a western it would have got just one star
Doug
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Tony D.
Member since 2006
11 Reviews
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A lovely little production that fuses the genre of a "spaghetti" western with a Broadway musical, and a bit of high-minded theological disputation thrown in for fun. It's heady, affecting stuff, not for everyone (particularly NOT for children or those uncomfortable with live depictions of torture and/or violent death). But it makes you think, feel and ponder the meaning of life. It is also definitely NOT predictable; Keythe Farley is too good of a playwright for that. Great performances and creative music. You should go and be both shocked and edified.
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2005
1 Reviews
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Fun show -- staying true to the "spaghetti western" with a dash of punk gore thrown in. The live music was great but I would have liked more sung musical numbers in the second half but altogether a fun evening of genre immersion.
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Twelveoh1
Member since 2006
6 Reviews
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The actors were all really great (especially the villain) & the production quality was very good & the live band was fantastic but the story....wow, so so so BORING! And seriously, this show is NOT a musical! If you are familiar with "Calendar Girls" that was at this same theater a few months back - now that's a musical! The other reviews I read lead me to believe that this was going to be a campy musical. It could not have been further from that!!! This show just wasn't my thing.
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dgrunert
Member since 2009
1 Reviews
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Great writing, terrific cast and a truly unique theatrical experience! My wife and I sat in the front row and felt like we were part of the show! We don't go to see many plays, but if there were more like "Stranger," we'd be going all the time!
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Gary
Member since 2006
2 Reviews
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First class production values. Great band and well-executed choreography. But...there isn't really enough music to call it a "musical" (more of a play with a few songs), and I didn't find the play a very engaging one.
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Alec B.
Member since 2004
13 Reviews
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I enjoyed the speakeasy atmosphere when I arrived at the Bootleg Theatre. It was down hill thereafter when the doors to the theatre opened. The music was blasting, the crowd was enthusiastic, the actors engaging, but their was no air circulating in the theatre. It was so hot I could only focus on the arrival of the intermission so I could tactfully leave the premises.
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Karen
Member since 2004
3 Reviews
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You have never seen anything like 'Stranger' on stage before. A "spaghetti Western with music" only begins to describe the beauty of movement mixed with realistically comic violence. Add sharper-than-knives writing and memorable character performances, and you've got a feast for the eyes, even while your stomach turns.
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2008
1 Reviews
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Overall I would give it a 6 maybe a 7 out of 10. A couple of the actors were very good but a couple of them were'nt anything special. The theatre did an excellent job with the lighting and sound, but it was a small theatre and lacking in certain areas. The best part was the band playing Sergio Lionni style music.
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2007
3 Reviews
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We loved the venue and the vibe of the Bootleg - particularly the lounge/bar/gathering area before being admitted into the theater. It was a fun night overall. Beers and popcorn :)
The live band during the show was good, the play was okay.
Parking was easy and the lot was well signed.
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Allen S.
Member since 2005
4 Reviews
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INTERESTING,fun,surreal,unexpected twists
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selina
Member since 2007
5 Reviews
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it was pretty cool. i definately had a good time. the villains were awesome... everyone else was good. the venue was good. only complaint was it was a little warm inside. also they dont take credit cards!
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njr
Member since 2008
1 Reviews
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Mercurion
Member since 2009
2 Reviews
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GREAAAAAT MUSIC!! Great concept! Good acting! Story could be better... great enjoyment.
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caroline perkins
Member since 2007
3 Reviews
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Wonderfully done. Simple but effective stage props. Good storyline. Staff very pleasant and hospitable.
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2009
1 Reviews
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Well written, directed and acted, plus the music was great. Really a fun night out.
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2005
1 Reviews
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great performances, deliciously dark script, perfect costumes! :-)
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2006
1 Reviews
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I absolutely loved the idea of a spaghetti western musical and it did not disappoint. Very clever, and a nice mix of satire without crossing the line to cheesy. The actors were all quite good and I loved the ghosts. Clever sets and lighting, staging and costumes.
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2006
11 Reviews
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Great! Go see the Stranger!
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2008
1 Reviews
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A really fun play. The set design and live music were great.
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Top Useful Tips
Tips are provided by Goldstar members and Bootleg Theater. Goldstar is not responsible for their content or accuracy.
Dress
- Casual dress. Western is best.
- Look good & rub shoulders with others that look good! (Or don't, and no one will care, either!)
Parking And Transportation
- Parking lot available across the street.
- On Roselake - Come from the East on Beverly since you can't turn left coming from the West.
Food And Drinks
- Boxed dinner by Chef Dunn - save room! Beer & Wine, popcorn
Other
- No tips yet, check back later
More Details About Stranger
More Information
Website: http://www.bootlegtheater.com/mainstage.html
<p>A Spaghetti Western with Music
Written by Eva Anderson & Keythe Farley
Music by Anthony Bollas</p>
<p>Cast: Richard Azurdia, Ann Closs-Farley, Michael Dunn, Cameron Dye, Wallis Hearst, Joe Hernandez-Kolski, Travis Michael Holder, Dylan Kenin, David Natale and Molly O’Neill</p>
<p>The Nevada Desert. 1847. The tiny town of San Lorenzo is terrorized by a ruthless villain named Lagarto. He has brutally murdered the town's sheriff, kidnapped his sixteen-year-old daughter Lucinda, and turned her into a killing machine with a taste for human flesh. The people of San Lorenzo are too weak to fight, but Miranda Coolidge, owner of the local saloon has something Lagarto wants-- a secret treasure that the late sheriff hid somewhere in the desert, and when a stranger with a mysterious past blows into town, she and the local preacher find real reason to hope.</p>
<p>Bootleg Theater and the producers of the smash hit The 99Cent Only Calendar Competition, are proud to present Stranger, a new Spaghetti Western Musical. Written by Eva Anderson (Wildboy ’74) and Keythe Farley (Bat Boy: The Musical) with original music by Tony Bollas (). Directed by Farley, Stranger is a thrilling tale of redemption and revenge set in the desert east of the Sierra Nevadas in 1847. </p>
<p>"Spaghetti Western" is a nickname for a broad sub-genre of Western film that emerged in the mid-1960’s -- so named because most were produced by Italians -- Sergio Leone being the most notable. But the distinction between the Spaghetti Western and the American Western is much deeper than the nationality of the producers. The American Western usually concerns itself with a simple story of Good vs. Evil, while the Spaghetti Western deals, often, in moral ambiguity and shades of gray. The Italian films are also much grittier and far bloodier than their American counterparts.</p>
<p>"When Eva approached me with the idea of a Spaghetti Western Musical, I have to admit that I had trouble imagining Clint Eastwood opening his mouth to sing," says Farley. </p>
<p>"What came out of our collaboration," says Anderson, "is a new form of musical theatre. One where songs and music still drive the narrative, but where none of the main characters sing." Farley adds, "This allows for great actors who wouldn’t normally be found in a musical to work alongside performers whose strength resides in the musical arena." </p>
<p>The music of Stranger is written by Tony Bollas who is working in close collaboration with the authors and director. He says, "With the Spaghetti Western, Sergio Leone used the evocative music of Ennio Morricone to help maintain an elevated reality that is almost theatrical in nature. That’s what I hope to do--use music and song to elevate the emotion already present in the script." </p>
<p>The play’s most dynamic moments will be staged as dance/fight scenes set to musical accompaniment. "If Twyla Tharp and Quentin Tarantino had a child, this is the kind of movement the spawn of that unholy union might stage-- it’s a ‘Twyla Tarantino’ approach to choreography." laughs Farley. </p>
<p>Full of wild music and shocking plot twists; funny, sardonic dialogue and piles of dead bodies, Stranger is poised to become the ultimate theatrical experience: an actionpacked, blood-soaked thrill ride set to music.</p>
