Review: Del Shores Introduces SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF A PLAY Inspired by Real-Life Encounters with Quirky People

Del Shores was born Delferd Lynn Shores (a fact he loves to make fun of) on December 3, 1957, in Winters, Texas and has risen to fame as an American film director and producer, television writer and producer, playwright and actor. Since 1987, several of his plays have had their World Premiere in Los Angeles, including Daddy's Dyin': Who's Got the Will?, Sordid Lives, and Yellow, all of which touch on LGBT themes. But even after all his success, the self-proclaimed "minor gay bar celebrity" has fans across all lifestyles and political affiliations.

So when I heard he would be performing his latest play, under the auspices of Celebration Theatre in Hollywood, I knew I had to be there to experience his outrageous and ultra-personal humor up close and personal. And I was not disappointed as Shores, proclaiming himself as his own biggest fan, began by thanking his mother, a former high school drama teacher, and the quirky members of her Southern Baptist family for much of the character inspiration in his plays, especially the lowbrow female characters in Sordid Lives.

Celebration Theatre is a very small venue known for putting on very big musicals and doing them very well. But I have to tell you, seeing Del Shores claim the stage as his own was really a treat as he transformed himself into not only his mother but several other friends and relatives from his childhood in Texas or others he has met over the years in gay bars, banks and convenience stores in SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF A PLAY. The title, of course, riffs on Pirandello's classic title, but in this one, Shores brings to life six one-of-a-kind characters he has met in real life that haven't quite made it into one of his plays, films or TV shows. In 90 minutes, the audience heard the truth behind how he collected these eccentrics and their stories as he portrays his hilarious, off-the-rails encounters with them.

All of these people could easily be the title character in one of his future creations. There is "Yvonne", the anti-vegetarian Dallas waitress; "Sarah", a Trump-hating elderly actress with an inhaler in one hand and a cigarette in the other; "Jimmy Ray", the evolving, Magic Mike-loving latent Georgia redneck; "Loraine", the once-brilliant drama teacher who has lost her damn mind and is now obsessed with porn; "Marsha", the monkey-hating lesbian with COPD; and "Aunt Bobby Sue", the racist Republican with a heart of gold.

Each of the characters presented by Shores generated tons of laughter from his appreciative audience on opening night, despite the overwhelming heat in the same space. (No doubt the problem will be corrected at future performances.) As photos were shared to prove some of the stories being told, such as the one taken with a Capuchin monkey on his shoulder after it had just bitten his finger, the audience erupted in laughter at the ridiculous nature of it all. And Shores laughed the loudest of all of us!

Celebration, under the artistic direction of Michael Matthews & Michael A. Shepperd in Association with Beard/Collins/Shores Productions, present the very special event, the West Coast premiere of Del Shores first new play since his critically acclaimed Yellow, SIX CHARACTERS IN SEARCH OF A PLAY, written and performed by Del Shores and directed by Emerson Collins.

Performances continue through Tuesday, March 27, 2018 on Monday & Tuesday evenings at 8pm with an additional performance on Sunday, March 25 at 7pm. Please note there is no performance on Monday, March 5 at 8pm. The Celebration Theatre @ the Lex Theatre is located at 6760 Lexington Ave. in Los Angeles. Tickets are $25 and may be ordered by calling (323) 957-1884 or online at www.celebrationtheatre.com where you can view a complete schedule and read more about the show.

PHOTO CREDIT: Mat Hayes

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