CAP UCLA Presents UnCabaret 25th Anniversary Show And Celebration

UCLA's Center for the Art of Performance (CAP UCLA) presents Los Angeles' legendary UnCabaret, celebrating 25 years of groundbreaking comedy in a one-time-only evening of wildly fun, idiosyncratic live performance, music and never-before-seen footage. Special guests include alumni Julia Sweeney, Janeane Garofalo, Bob Odenkirk, Maria Bamford, Greg Behrendt, Andy Kindler, Scott Thompson, Allee Willis, Laura Kightlinger, Alex Edelman, Rebecca Corry, Jill Soloway and many more to be announced, hosted by creatrix Beth Lapides with musical director Mitch Kaplan on Sunday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. at The Theatre at Ace Hotel Downtown Los Angeles. Tickets for $29.50-$59.50 are available now at cap.ucla.edu and theatre.acehotel.com, 310-825-2101 and The Theatre at Ace Hotel box office.

Recently named by Los Angeles Magazine as one of the five Best Comedy Shows in L.A., Rolling Stone once called UnCabaret a comedy be-in. From its origins at the Women's Building in DTLA, the alternative comedy institution grew from the need for a comedy space that was, as host, executive producer and creator Beth Lapides once described, "unhomophobic, unmisogynist and unxenophobic." The Los Angeles Times dubbed Lapides the "High Priestess" of a revolution that reclaimed comedy as an art form, allowing for depth, meaning and even transcendence.

"It's about community," said Lapides. "The defining feature is people coming together, the joy of connection, what happens unexpectedly - it feels like a party. We're excited that this special anniversary celebration is happening before Thanksgiving so you can celebrate with us and your family of choice."

UnCabaret has remained devoted to revitalizing, refreshing and reimagining what's possible in the comedy world and has been on the forefront of putting women front and center in its electrically eccentric lineup of story-based, conversational comedy. Over the years it has nurtured and fostered the careers of such iconoclastic comedians and comedy writers as Margaret Cho, Kathy Griffin, Jeff Garlin, Andy Dick and Judd Apatow, and hosted guest appearances by Jon Stewart, Sarah Silverman, Roseanne Barr, Jennifer Coolidge, Kevin Nealon, Sandra Bernhard, Carrie Fisher and Bill Maher. Its stage has welcomed LGBT comedians Sandra Bernhard, Tig Notaro, Jill Soloway, Julie Goldman, Justin Sayre, Mx Justin Vivienne Bond, Kelly Mantle, Miss Coco Peru, and Bahrain-born human rights activist Esra'a Al-Shafei.

Under musical director and co-producer Mitch Kaplan, UnCabaret has showcased musicians and bands such as Shelby Lynne, Terra Naomi, Sam Morrow, Phoebe Bridgers, Judith Owen, Magnolia Memoir and Garfunkle and Oates. "Without the music as release, it's harder to take in this very real kind of comedy," says Lapides. "We want to take people on a very cathartic emotional ride."

UnCabaret makes its CAP UCLA debut at The Theatre at Ace Hotel DTLA following special events at Ace Hotel & Swim Club in Palm Springs in 2016 and 2017.
CAP UCLA's special events series for the 2018-2019 program concludes with the upcoming performance of Taylor Mac's Holiday Sauce on Dec. 14-15 at Royce Hall.
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