New home, same theme for Geffen
By Erica Diem
Sept. 24, 2005 9:00 p.m.
From hit titles such as “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” to
famous faces such as John Goodman, this year’s lineup for
Westwood’s Geffen Playhouse is sure to attract attention from
all types of Los Angeles theatergoers. In keeping with the
Geffen’s decade-long celebration of the American experience
titled “Festival of American Originals,” the new
season’s schedule offers an array of performances
commemorating what it means to be a part of American society.
“This will be the second year of the Festival of American
Originals,” said Geffen press director Ryan Jimenez.
“The shows this year will reflect emotions or actions that
identify what people consider being American.”
This season will open at the temporary location in Brentwood
with Heather Raffo’s production, called “Nine Parts of
Desire,” which relates the stories of nine Iraqi women, with
each discussing a real-life experience living under the regime of
Saddam Hussein.
“Heather is an Iraqi American,” said Jimenez,
“so for her to combine those worlds and bring something that
is so at the forefront of American consciousness to the stage is an
amazing thing.”
After opening with a show that addresses contemporary concerns,
the Geffen will then move back to Westwood and back to the 1950s,
when Tennessee Williams penned his Pulitzer Prize-winning work
“Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.” Boasting a cast that includes
Goodman and Academy Award-winner Brenda Fricker, this classic
American play will bring one of the nation’s most celebrated
dramas to the UCLA community for the red carpet gala opening of its
historic playhouse.
“”˜Cat on a Hot Tin Roof’ will be the inaugural
show back at the Geffen after construction is completed,”
Jimenez said. “The great thing is that there is a tremendous
interest from actors who want to perform at the Geffen. So we have
the great luxury of being a sought-after venue and are able to
assemble magnificent casts like this one.”
After tackling a timeless classic, the theater will host the
world premiere of the one-man show “My Buddy Bill,”
written and performed by Rick Cleveland, executive producer of
HBO’s hit series “Six Feet Under.” This
lighthearted performance unveils intimate and random details about
Cleveland’s friendship with former President Bill Clinton,
proving that contemporary shows can still make audiences smile.
Next in the season is the West Coast premiere of “Boston
Marriage,” a title that refers to a romantic relationship
between two single and financially independent women. After this
display of the power of American feminism, the Geffen will continue
with another classic, “All My Sons,” by American
playwright Arthur Miller. Turning from the lighthearted to a darker
tone, this enduring play examines the American experience at its
core, dealing will issues of war, love and greed.
The theater will wrap up its season with another West Coast
premiere of Sam Shephard’s “The God of Hell,” in
which a politically naive farming couple from Wisconsin receives
two unwanted visitors who open a whole world of dark mysteries
involving peculiar military secrets and conspiracy torture. Here, a
simple American home is turned upside down, and the play will end a
season devoted to delineating the culture of the country.
“This year of the festival will showcase the American
experience, and not only how it applies to Americans, but also
other people living here, and living out that experience,”
Jimenez said.
