Who wouldn't like to add a little magic to their life? Comedy Workshop Productions presents a darkly funny, inspiring new comedy about one woman's miraculous escape from the secrets of her past.
Written by author, stand-up comedian and magician Judy Carter, who also heads the three-person cast, A Death-Defying Escape! will "disappear weekly" at the Hudson Guild Theatre in Hollywood, and also stream online. Lee Costello directs Carter alongside actors Kevin Scott Allen and Lyndsi LaRose. In-person performances take place Saturdays and Sundays April 2 through May 8, with two low-priced previews set for March 26 and March 27. Tickets to both the in-person performances and the streaming version, which will be available to view beginning April 9, are on sale now.
Prepare to be uplifted (no surgery required): regardless of your age, escape is possible from the restraints of your past. Love, liberation and real magic await you. The play's unique storyline features something for everyone: Jewish humor, a lesbian romance, a clarion call for disability awareness - and jaw-dropping, audience-interactive on-stage magic.
"Growing up with a sister with cerebral palsy, a narcissistic mother and an abusive father, I dreamed of becoming a magician," says Carter. "I didn't want to saw women in half; I wanted the power to put them back together. The power to make my father disappear and levitate my sister Marsha out of her wheelchair."
Carter, who broke gender barriers to become one of America's first female magicians, controls more than the playing cards. She's found the secret to controlling her own reality. A Death-Defying Escape combines extraordinary feats of magic with an inspiring story about escaping life's emotional shackles to find love.
Discovering at age 10 that the messes in her life were great fodder for comedy, Carter overcame a speech impediment and began doing magic shows for birthday parties - leading to a full-page story in the
Los Angeles Times. She was the first woman to perform at the Magic Castle Close-Up Gallery in Hollywood - where she was literally picked up and thrown out because "Cards are for men." Undaunted, she continued developing her own style of magic, creating a death-defying escape from her grandmother's girdle and sawing a man in half. At one engagement, when the airlines lost her luggage, she went on without her tricks - and instantly became a standup comic. Since then, she has appeared on over 100 TV shows and four comedy cable specials, as well as opening for Prince and playing Vegas. Finding herself single at 60, she discovered new love with a woman 40 years younger than herself.
In addition to her career as a magician and stand-up comedian, Carter is an author, international keynote speaker and TED Talker. She doesn't like to brag... but she wrote the Bible. No joke: she's the author of "
The Comedy Bible" (Simon & Schuster), which was rejected by 59 book agents before going on to become the definitive book on turning problems into punchlines, leading to an interview with
Oprah Winfrey. Her other books include "The Message of You: Turn Your Life Story into a Money-Making Speaking Career" (St. Martin's Press) "The Homo Handbook" (Fireside Books), "Stand-up Comedy: The Book" (Random House) and, most recently, "The New Comedy Bible," which has been published in seven countries. Currently, Judy is an in-demand speaker on the power of personal stories and humor to inspire others. Judy's message of using humor as a transformational tool led to her being featured in the Wall Street Journal and The New York Times and on CNN, as well as being a frequent contributor to NPR's All Things Considered.
The creative team for A Death-Defying Escape! includes scenic designer and magic illusion creator Craig Dickens, who has created illusions for
David Copperfield; lighting designer Matt Richter; and sound and projections designer Nick Foran. The production stage manager is Lauren McCuen. Gabrieal Griego produces for Comedy Workshop Productions.
A Death-Defying Escape! is appropriate for ages 15 and up; it includes mature content and is not intended for young audiences.
Performances of A Death-Defying Escape! take place Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m., April 2 through May 8. There will be two preview performances, on Saturday, March 26 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, March 27 at 3 p.m. The production will become available for online streaming beginning April 9. All tickets are $30, except previews, which are $20. The
Hudson Guild Theatre is located at 6539 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles, CA 90038. Proof of vaccination (including booster if eligible) is required for admission. Temperature checks will be performed on all patrons before entering the theater Masks (no cloth or scarves) must be worn at all times while inside the theater. The theater is wheelchair accessible.
To purchase tickets for the in-person show or the virtual stream, visit
www.deathdefyingescape.com.
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