Road Theatre @ Lankershim Arts Center (North Hollywood, CA)
Based on the actual minutes of a women's club called The Friendly Hour, formed in rural South Dakota in 1934, this poignant comedy charts 70 years of personal and national history, from skinning skunks and julebukking when the tale begins, to restoring the native prairie in the new millennium. Join these fascinating women as they laugh, cry, navigate the difficult changes in their relationships, and share their lives at their "friendly" monthly gathering.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
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The last event was Friday November 14, 2008 / 8:00pm. (view all dates)
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The actors were fantastic. I didn't know what to expect, but I was so moved, and the show was funny too. My husband really liked it too, which I wasn't expecting. With 5 women on stage the entire time - I was worried. But no, the hubby really, really liked it alot.
The play is moving without being sappy, or manipulative. Just people, being people.
So, to sum up - Funny, moving, great set & costumes, and the actors were just really great. Just some amazing work on stage.
I just heard the show extended -- so, go, go, go!!
Beautiful theatre and good actors.
THE FRIENDLY HOUR was, more or less, a waste of our time. The play was based on an authentic journal of notes from a social club founded by a group of women in South Dakota in the late '20's which continued through the '90's. The short scenes each elaborate on the exchanges between the characters at a particular meeting over the years. The good part: The theater itself was adorable, upstairs from an art gallery in an area of artsy North Hollywood with other small theaters, restaurants, boutiques, etc. Parking was bad that day because there was to be a special art event in the neighborhood the next day and the city was clearing the street to prepare, but there was plenty of parking on the side streets. The not so good part: The script became repetitious and not interesting, could easily have been edited to remove at least 1/2 hour of material. The directing was atrocious; we were thinking this was an amateur at work - not sure of the reality of that critique. All the actors were, at best, mediocre. One who played many characters was downright awful; she NEVER worked. Unfortunately, we now have an idea that the work presented at this theater is not good quality. We attended a performance at a small theater down the street called EL PORTAL a few months back which was one of the best of the entire year, but this place.....
Great show - highly recommend...parking is a bit of a problem though, get there early...
amazing performances. fantastic staging and character dynamics. funny and powerful and very entertaining. this was a diamond in the rough kind of play for me. what a great night i had. i'm so glad i took my friends. bravo to the fine actors.
What an AMAZING cast! Funny, heartwarming, and completely enjoyable!
The historic Lankershim Arts Center is a beautifully restored 1930s streamline building with an art gallery on the first floor.
The city-owned center offers a full slate of theatre workshops, computer classes, readings and art shows.
The Lankershim Arts Center is also home to the Road Theatre Company, a cutting edge theatre organization.
Tom Jacobson has had more than 50 productions staged in Los Angeles and around the country, including The Beloved Disciple, Cyberqueer, and Degenerate Art. His adaptations Sperm for Circle X and The Orange Grove for Playwrights Arena were both sited as Critic's Choice by the Los Angeles Times. He is delighted to once again be joining forces with The Road for The Friendly Hour following their 1998 collaboration, Tainted Blood, winner of seven Valley Theatre League Awards; their 2004 production of Ouroboros, which garnered a Garland Award for playwriting, as well as LA Weekly Awards for playwriting and Production of the Year; and the 2005 production of Bunbury, which was nominated for a GLAAD Award and an Ovation Award, winning several Valley Theatre League Awards and winning Jacobson honors as Playwright of the Year and recognized as one of the top five productions of 2005 in Los Angeles. He is a co-literary manager of The Theatre @ Boston Court, a founding member of Playwrights Ink, a board member of Cornerstone Theater Company, and teaches playwriting and related courses for UCLA Extension. His most recent project, The Chinese Massacre (Annotated), was workshopped by Circle X this summer.
Aside from directing Jacobson's Bunbury at the Road, Mark Bringelson has directed the world premiere and a subsequent long-running revival of the playwright’s Cyberqueer. Other world premieres include Susan Rubin's Bitch at Bootleg, The Clairvoyant for Playwrights Arena, The Tesla Project at LA Contemporary Exhibitions (produced under a Rockefeller Grant), Blue Corridor at The Odyssey; and Sirena, Queen of the Tango. He also directed the 25th anniversary production of Lanford Wilson's Rimers of Eldritch, the North American premiere of the British play The Neighbor, and the wildly successful revival of Steaming at the Ivy Substation, among many others. Most recently, he has worked on projects with Long Beach Opera, Orphean Circus, Indecent Exposure Productions, and just directed a developmental workshop of Susan Rubin's new play, Tea. His family hails from South Dakota, the setting for The Friendly Hour, which, granted, is a little scary.
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