The Prodigal Father: New Comedic Drama Stars Barney Miller's Max Gail
Celebration Theatre (West Hollywood, CA)
A blend of comedy and drama, The Prodigal Father stars TV veteran Max Gail (Barney Miller, Gary Unmarried) as Earl, an Alzheimer's sufferer living in a Chicago loft with his son Jamey and Jamey's lover. The play explores the father-son relationship as scenes and characters shift instantly from present to past as Earl's mind shifts.
Event summary prepared by the Goldstar Editorial Team.
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Haram Iran is about two boys, struggling to find their place as Arab Iranians in a modern world, whose lives change in an instant when they are caught in a compromising position. When the two fifteen year old boys, who may or may not have been gay, are publicly humiliated and subsequently tried in the Iranian legal system, they struggle to survive while refusing to betray one another. Learn More
10 Member Reviews
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- latia h
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latia h
Member since 2008
34 Reviews
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I thought the storyline was ok.
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- Lou
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Lou
Member since 2008
3 Reviews
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This play needs work. The production values are strong - excellent staging, good directing, and overall good acting. But the story falls flat at the end. It's hard to see why the gay couple breaks up so easily as there is no indication that this isn't a strong relationship. And when the father with Alzheimer's moves in, these guys need a discussion of how they're going to cope day-in, day-out with his condition. Some of the writing is very good, and there are some terrific lines, but the story needs a bit of strengthening. And I really enjoyed this playwright's "Play It Cool," one of the best gay plays I've seen in a long time.
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- Goldstar Member
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Goldstar Member
Member since 2007
1 Reviews
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There was not a single original thing in this play. We've seen it all before a millions times. The script was highly contrived, the humor fell flat and the dialogue was trite. Many scenes were overly melodramatic and it did not help that the director allowed the actors to play into it instead of against the melodrama. Consequently, the play came across as a staging of an over-the-top Lifetime movie of the week. Additionally, I saw a preview performance and cues were dropped left and right, which made the pace very sluggish. On the positive side the director created smooth transitions between the past and the present. The saving grace of the production was Max Gail who gave an honest and touching performance; the flashback scene between him and the actress playing his former wife (who was excellent) was extremely compelling. My comments were based on the first act. I cannot comment on Act Two because I left at intermission perplexed, wondering why the talented Max Gail committed to this pedestrian script.
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More Details About The Prodigal Father
Quotes & Highlights
- "An entertaining ride." --LA Weekly, Go!
- "The performances Matthews elicits from his cast of five include some of the finest you’ll see this year, particularly the tour-de-force work of [Max] Gail." --Stage Scene LA
More Information
Website: http://www.celebrationtheatre.com/
<p>The Prodigal Father, a world premiere play by Larry Dean Harris directed by Michael Matthews, is a co-production between Celebration Theatre (CT) and Playwrights 6 (P6). Television veteran Max Gail plays the title role in a cast that includes Josette DiCarlo, Joe Rose, Allain Rochel and Truly Magyar.</p>
<p>This is the fifth P6/CT collaboration in ten years following Harris’ LA Weekly Best Playwriting Award nominee Bible Stories in 1999 and three critically acclaimed Christmastime is Queer group productions in 2002, 2003 and 2004.</p>
<p>“It’s a good fit creatively, and it’s good business,” said Michael Shepperd, CT Artistic Director. “Celebration has had a long relationship with P6, and this co-production allows us to capitalize on the strengths of both companies while sharing the financial risk during this time of economic hardship.”</p>
<p>The Prodigal Father explores the father-son relationship of Earl and Jamey Sanders, two disparate personalities thrown together – along with Jamey’s lover – in a Chicago loft. Earl’s Alzheimer’s provides the momentum for the narrative as scenes – and characters - shift instantly from present to past in a uniquely theatrical experience of comedy and drama.</p>
<p>The production is helmed by former CT Artistic Director Michael Matthews, who recently directed Allen Knee’s The Jazz Age to critical acclaim at the Blank Theatre. Matthews, a Chicago Jeff Awards nominee, had a string of successes at CT: Four, Stupid Kids, Porcelain, The Bacchae and Beautiful Thing, which earned him two Ovation Award Best Director nominations in the same year.</p>
<p>Prodigal was developed in the P6 workshop and marks Harris’ return to Celebration following the eight-week sold-out run of his jazz musical Play It Cool with collaborator Mark Winkler in 2006.</p>
<p>Play It Cool – a Critic’s Pick in the Los Angeles Times, L.A. Weekly and Backstage – recently made its east coast debut in the New York Musical Theatre Festival starring Sally Mayes and Josh Strickland. Harris has received LA Weekly, Ovation and GLAAD nominations for his work, which also includes Like an Old Song named the Best Gay-Themed Play of 2000 by Backstage West.</p>
<p>The Prodigal Father marks another return: that of television veteran Max Gail to the stage after 25 years. While Gail is best known for his television role as Det. Stan "Wojo" Wojeciehowicz on Barney Miller from 1975 – 1982, he has nearly 100 film and television credits, including a recurring guest star role on the current CBS comedy Gary Unmarried.</p>
<p>Playwrights 6 is a Los Angeles-based playwright-managed theater company founded in 1999. Celebration Theatre, founded in 1982, is the oldest continuously running professional gay and lesbian theatre in the United States.</p>
Celebration Theatre
Celebration Theatre is a company of artists dedicated to creating a dynamic outlet for progressive gay and lesbian voices in contemporary theater and performance in Los Angeles. They intend to create a broader involvement in their community, conduct a rigorous exploration of society's changing sentiments and values, and share these explorations with a wider audience.
