Pin-Up Girls: Show About WWII-Era Burlesque Performers
Avery Schreiber Theatre, between Vineland and Lankershim (11050 Magnolia Blvd. North Hollywood, CA 91601)
- Full Price:
- $20.00
- Our Price:
- $10.00*
* Additional fees apply.
All offers for Pin-Up Girls have expired.
The last date listed for Pin-Up Girls was Sunday November 23, 2008 / 7:00pm.
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- Full Price:
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- Our Price:
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Set in Hollywood over a 70-year period, Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage's pseudo-biographical comedy By the Way, Meet Vera Stark follows the life of a headstrong African-American actress who begins a career in the 1930s, at a time when her only shot at success lay in stealing small scenes in big Hollywood blockbusters. Seventy years later, film buffs reflect on the life and legacy of the controversial star, whose eventual fame and fortune came at the price of perpetuating dangerous stereotypes. Nottage artfully blends comedy and social commentary for a thoroughly entertaining yet thought-provoking picture of the cultural climate that shaped Vera Stark. Clever and illuminating, this show draws on screwball films of the 1930s and uses today's fascination with celebrity and controversy to get to the truth behind the legend, and reflect on who she might have been if she'd lived in a different time. Learn More
10 Goldstar Member Reviews
Goldstar Member
Written on Nov 30 2008It was really good. It felt like you were really in the dressing room of a burlesque club in the 40's.
Barbara
Written on Nov 17 2008This is a show in serious need of rewrites. And authors should NEVER direct their own plays. Several performers stood out as quite good, Judith Goldstein, Sarah Cook, primarily, but for the most part, actors were playing "at" a style, and were not directed in a way to help the audience focus on the action in scenes where the entire company was on the tiny stage at the same time. Some glaring errors, an actor talks about taking four months to learn how to use a prosthesis, but then spends the rest of the play NOT using it because it doesn't really function! Poor actor, BAD director. Cut a half hour, get a real director, and you might have a play.
CandyCoatedStrychnine
Written on Nov 10 2008This theatre is tiny, i recommend getting there EARLY as there's only about 30 seats in the auditorium. All seats are good seats but if you have a decent sized crowd, you want to make sure you all get seats together. The production was really heartfelt and you can really sense the actors commitment to the production. At times the heated dialogue became a bit loud, but its to be expected considering the size of the place. I do plan on going back before the end of the performances.
Torie
Written on Nov 10 2008Some of the performances were stronger than others (as is often the case in community theatre) but there were some roles that were outstanding. They had a burlesque show with the cast members after the actual play which was fun.
More Information About Pin-Up Girls
Website
http://www.theatreunleashed.com/pinupgirls.html
Description
Theatre Unleashed is proud to announce the final show of its 2008 Main Stage season and its first full-length original production written by one of the company’s founding members, Pin-Up Girls. With the successful, well-received runs of The Tempest and the series of original coffee shop shows Through a Caffeine Haze, the company and its reputation continue to grow. A bold (yet hysterical) show that tackles the theme of freedom, set in the popular world of burlesque, with powerful female characters, Pin-Up Girls is an exciting next step in solidifying Theatre Unleashed as one of L.A.’s strongest theatre companies.
Pin-Up Girls opens in 1942 San Francisco as young American men bound for war flood local nightclubs for a last hurrah. Meanwhile, American women find themselves in possession of a new found freedom and equality; in the factories, in the home and out on the town. Written and directed by Andrew Moore, Pin-Up Girls focuses on the dancers -- their lives, loves and losses – as they prepare backstage at The High Jinks for an evening striptease. Heart-warming and heart-breaking, the show provides a glimpse into the camaraderie that exists backstage among any group of show people.
“What makes this original production so thrilling is that it captures the passion and character intricacy of screwball comedies from the likes of Capra and Hawkes, while allowing themes to be dealt with in a timely way for a current audience,” said Artistic Director Phillip Kelly. “This story could be told in 20 years and still be relevant.”
Theatre Unleashed plans Pin-Up Girls to be its most ambitious show to date. Besides being the longest run in the company’s short history, the production itself will feature an exquisitely detailed set mirroring the time period, glamorous costumes with attention paid to rationing and limitations to women’s clothing at the time, and songs from the era to truly take audiences back. Not lost in all the glitz is a fast-paced, hilarious jaunt that tugs at the heart strings.
“The reason I wrote a play set 400 miles to the north and 65 years in the past is that problems of yesterday are the problems of today,” Moore said. “Distance, whether mileage or decades passed, affords us the opportunity to view universal problems like love, relationships and disappointment with a sense of safety.”
Director of Development for Theatre Unleashed, Moore has been recognized for his work as a playwright in the past, most recently with Torrid Affaire, which he directed and co-produced at Two Roads Theatre. Over the past couple years, he’s found himself immersed in the world of burlesque.
“Backstage is a magical place, the threshold between reality and fantasy where the clothes come off and costumes go on,” Moore said. “The burlesque world is like no other. As the husband of a performer, I’ve had the rare fortune of glimpsing backstage and this is an experience I want to share with the audience."