Michael Butler: “The God of Hell”
THE GOD OF HELL
Tonight I was fortunate enough to be a guest of the Geffen Theatre in Westwood, CA to their opening of THE GOD OF HELL. Written by Sam Shepard and directed by Jason Alexander. It was very well acted by Sarah Knowlton, Bill Fagerbakke, Bryan Cranston and Curtis Armstring. With Shepard’s exciting writing and Alexander’s tight direction it was quite an evening.
For me, not being a critic, it is difficult to expound on the more erudite examination of the play from that point of view. I can simply state how the piece affected me. I must confess to predjudice when it comes to Sam Shepard. Just after producing HAIR my first choice was to produce his Operation Sidewinder. It came to naught, can’t recall why, probably as life became so crazy with additional productions. I have seen many of his works since then in NYC, Chicago and LA.
The greatest accolade I can give is to say I saw something that made me think. To be indirectly challenged by positions which are subtle and leading enough to create thought and examination is where drama does its greatest work. This evening I was so moved.
Each of us will have our own response to such stimuli. For me tonight was a demonstration of state control that led me to think for all of us: Freedom.
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3 Responses to “Michael Butler: “The God of Hell””
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M, So glad you enjoyed!
Posted on 29-Jun-06 at 7:57 am | PermalinkS
Another play you would probably enjoy is the new musical “Hercules on Normandie,” playing Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. at Greenway Court Theatre, 544 N. Fairfax Ave. in L.A.
Posted on 29-Jun-06 at 8:21 am | PermalinkThe big-cast show wears its leftist politics on its sleeve, as its Black superhero (the Hercules of the title) comes to the aid of peace activists being hassled by authorities.
Through July 1, tickets are available at half-price ($12.50 instead of $25) by asking for the Big Cheap Theatre discount.
(323) 655-7679 ext. 100.
As a long-time admirer of Sam Shepard’s work,
Posted on 29-Jun-06 at 4:12 pm | Permalinkyour review made me regret again not having
access to it. Is there a production schedule
beyond the present engagement? What are the
economic downsides for putting ‘out of town’
productions on dvd to give a work greater exposure? It ought to be a residual revenue-producing effort, provided one can
overcome union objections. In that respect,
why not in this age of euthenic media proliferation, why not borrow from other
entertainment combines e.g., ASCAP or what-ever else may be appropos?