Acclaimed TV Vet Brings John Wilkes Booth to Fringe

While revered writer and producer Lloyd J. Schwartz built his reputation and career in television on hit shows like The Brady Bunch, Alice, The A-Team, Baywatch and more, it has always been theatre where he's felt the most free to explore.

"Theatre is about the soul, it's about the author and actors in their purest form," Schwartz said. "I heard about Hollywood Fringe and all the creative people involved and I knew I wanted to be a part of it."

Schwartz is bringing his dramatic solo show An Evening with John Wilkes Booth to the Complex Theatre (Flight space) as part of the Fringe festival in June. The assassination of Abraham Lincoln was a pivotal point of this nation's history, but it is a story that is always told from Lincoln's point of view. John Wilkes Booth was a great actor, but his father and brother were even greater. His jealousy and his love for the South and slavery led him to commit the heinous crime for which he is known. An Evening with John Wilkes Boothlets us know who John Wilkes was and why he did what he did. Along the way, there is Shakespeare, sex, drama and the entire acting out of the assassination itself.

Schwartz first presented his work with his co-writer Clinton Case in 1979. He decided to bring it back to Hollywood Fringe this year for a few reasons. First, is the timing.

"We are in such a politically charged time," he said. "Emerson said, 'there is no such thing as history; there is just biography.' Why people do things is often more interesting than the things they do. By looking into our past, we can have a better understanding of where we are today."

Another reason is that he found the right actor to play the role in Stephen Spiegel. A member of Fierce Backbone Theater Company and the American Conservatory Theater, Spiegel has been featured in several local theatrical productions (The Cause My Soul, The Journals of Osborne P. Anderson, Down in Front) as well as TV and film (Obsessed, Mountain Man, Out of the Blue). As Schwartz says, Spiegel is "scary good."

And last, but certainly not least, Schwartz simply wanted to be part of the festival. Schwartz has spent over 40 years in theatre, including his "Storybook Theatre" he's done with his wife Barbara Mallory at Theatre West for the past 32 years. He's excited to finally do his first Fringe.

"I wrote my first play The Nearlyweds and opened it in Dallas in 1975 with Ann B. Davis, Alice from The Brady Bunch and never looked back, "he said. "I immediately fell in love with theatre and vowed to do as much as I can as often as I can."

DATES AND TIMES:

Part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival

Saturday, June 3 - 5 p.m. (preview)

Sunday, June 11 - 3 p.m.

Saturday, June 17 - 7 p.m.

Sunday, June 18 - 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, June 24 - 4:30 p.m.

LOCATION:

Complex Theatre (Flight space)

6476 Santa Monica Blvd.

Los Angeles, CA 90038

TICKET PRICES:

General Admission: $15

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

http://www.hollywoodfringe.org/projects/4579

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