Stage Fog: Hot Theater in Small Spaces
It’s August, and we’re freezing our asses off. If you don’t want to pay the mileage on that car-sharing service to escape to warmer climates but still want some heat and even some adventure, head to the city’s smaller venues to catch some new plays.
The Rise and Fall of the Monkey King at Exit Stage Left
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before: There’s this mad ruler, his country’s citizens hate him, and he’s totally hell-bent on invading other countries for no good reason. No, you’re not watching the Daily Show, you’re reading about the world premiere of Blair Gageloft’s play. (We’re a little dubious about whether this playwright actually exists; the press release suggests his name is an anagram for "liberal faggot.") But wait, the description gets better: This ruler is backed by a public relations machine that loves Neil Diamond, and the Abu Ghraib Dance Ensemble (nope, not even gonna link that) makes a cameo appearance. We’re not quite sure what to expect from the brand-new El Gato Del Diablo Theatre Company, but damn, they caught our attention. Playing through August 20.
Sore Throats at Last Planet Theatre
Last Planet Theatre thrives on producing rare and difficult plays that theatergoers may find uncomfortable or completely objectionable. We call it gutsy, edgy and some of the most unique theater in the city. The company got us hooked when they produced The Wallace Shawn Festival, and that was way the hell back in 1999. The company has since settled into digs at 351 Turk Street, where it’s currently performing the West Coast premiere of Sore Throats by Howard Brenton, one of England’s most controversial and provocative playwrights (no wonder most Americans haven’t heard of him). This play, which premiered in 1979, follows Judy, an ex-housewife who’s trying to escape her past and finds vicious means to spiritual and sexual liberation. We don’t want to bore you with all this academic talk about how Brenton was heavily influenced by the attempted student revolution in 1968 Paris as well as existentialism and all that; just know that you’re in for some shocking stuff. "[Theater] is the place for really savage insights," he has said. And Last Planet Theatre is the place to see them. Playing through August 21.
Executive Order 9066 at The Marsh
Look, we’ll just tell you straight up: This play has puppets in it. But not like public television puppets. Like found object puppets. Liebe Wetzel and her Lunatique Fantastique has done amazing stuff with newspaper, forks, a trench coat, ribbons, you name it, and they tell pretty compelling stories for both children and adults. Executive Order 9066, one of the better pieces in the company’s repertoire, is more on the adult side, telling the story of a family (comprised of a tea set) in the WWII Japanese internment camps. We know it sounds crazy, but Lun Fan imbues their objects with so many human characteristics that you’ll probably find yourself moved by the plight of these tea cups. Playing through August 28.
Photo: Garrett Lowe in The Rise and Fall of the Monkey King. Photo by Shawn Ferreyra.