BOYS' LIFE Plays Last Performances, Closes 10/3 At Zombie Joe's Underground Theater

A Doesn't Suck Productions, in association with VOX Box Arts Collective and the Beverly Hills Playhouse, Presentation Boys'Life By Howard Korder Directed by Dan Bridges

When Howard Korder's Boys' Life had its 1988 New York premiere, The New York Times declared it "...a stinging chain of related blackout sketches...candid without being pompously judgmental." Doesn't Suck Productions, in association with Vox Box Arts Collective and the Beverly Hills Playhouse, presents a timely revival of Boys' Life, directed by Dan Bridges. The production opened Friday, September 18, 8:30pm, at Zombie Joe's Underground Theater in North Hollywood.

Presented in a series of sharply etched comedic vignettes that dissect the male ego, Boys' Life follows the misadventures of three former college buddies as they make their way in the big city. As Jack, the most cynical of the trio, puts it: 'We're men. We do terrible things. Let's admit we like them and go on from there.' Ultimately, our heroes are exposed as deluded victims of protracted adolescence, making it clear it's the women in these boys' lives who possess the so-called qualities of "manhood."

Dan Bridges is a veteran of San Francisco-based No Nude Men Productions, where he first read Korder's acidic perusal of narcissistic young men on the prowl. "I have wanted to direct Boys Life for such a long time but the rights weren't available," says Bridges. "The work is a perfect distillation of the ‘Me! Me! Me!' 80s generation, where ‘greed is good' and get all you can anyway you can. All the while, the specter of the Cold War is still out there ready to annihilate everyone or you just might be killed off by AIDS. This is thoroughly engrossing stage work that takes a great cast to pull off. Fortunately, I have a great cast."

The production features: Mike Horton (Don); whose stage credits include Mother Courage (Theatre @ Boston Court) and Ubu The King (Williamstown Theater Festival); James Lyons (Jack), who recently appeared in Katselas Theatre Co's Birdbath; Dan Bridges (Phil), featured in the film, The Adventures of Belvis Bush; Samantha Sloyan (Lisa), an L.A. Weekly Best Female Lead nominee for The Misanthrope; Michelle Lawrence (Maggie), recently featured on The Mentalist; Dixie Perkinson (Karen), featured in the soon-to-be-released film, Me and My Shadow; Kristi Slager (Girl), whose extensive stage work includes, The Last Five Years: Colin Grey, The Dead Deportee and Chapter Two; Renee Crawford (Carla), a member of the sketch comedy troupe, BlueCollarOrDie.com; and Jimmy Clark.

Boys' Life opened Friday, Sept. 18 at 8:30pm, with performances continuing Friday and Saturday at 8:30pm, until Oct. 3. Tickets are $15. For reservations and information, call 310) 308-8262 or online at www.boysLifePlay.com. Zombie Joe's Underground Theater is located at 4850 Lankershim Blvd, North Hollywood, CA 91606

 

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