Philip Ridley's RADIANT VERMIN Mixes Comedy, Horror in L.A. Premiere

Just in time for Halloween: Mary Poppins meets Flip This House meets Edgar Allen Poe's "Tell Tale Heart." Door Number 3, L.A.'s newest theater company, presents an outrageous comedy with a killer heart by acclaimed British playwright and provocateur Philip Ridley(Mercury Fur, Tender Napalm). The Los Angeles premiere ofRadiant Vermin opens as avisiting production at theOdyssey Theatre on Oct. 19 where it continues through Nov. 18.

In this vicious satire flecked with horror, Ollie and Jill want to tell you about their dream home. But some of the things they did to get it... well, you might find them kind of shocking. Ridley's play is a fun, very creepy commentary on consumerism in the age where enough is never enough.

Recently transplanted to L.A. from Portland where he founded that city's critically acclaimed Third Rail Repertory Theatre, Door Number 3 artistic director Tim True is committed to producing highly theatrical work.

"Third Rail is recognized for its willingness to take theatrical risks, and I want to bring that sensibility to Door Number 3," says True. "I'm excited to work in L.A. where the theater community is known for its independent, pioneer, can-do spirit - it's a perfect fit for us."

Radiant Vermin, which True will direct, stars fellow Portland transplants Britt Harris as Jill andLaura Faye Smith as the mysterious Miss Dee, alongside Angeleno Kapil Talwalkar (Animals Out of Paper at East West Players) as Ollie.

The play received its world premiere in 2015 at London's Soho Theatre, where The Guardiancalled it "a darkly funny morality play that implicates the audience without hitting it over the head" and the Financial Times wrote, "a deeply macabre, stingingly funny modern fairy tale... clever, funny and provocative." When it opened at 59E59 Theaters in New York a year later, The New York Times found it to be "nasty and energetic fun."

"I love this play because it's so demanding of both the actors and the audience," continues True. "It's extremely fast-paced and highly physical, requiring versatility and split-second timing. Real theatrical magic."

Philip Ridley is a contemporary artist, poet, novelist, film-maker and one of England's most celebrated living playwrights, winning Time Out, Evening Standard, Fringe First and Critics Circle awards for his plays. Plays include seminal early works The Pitchfork Disney, Ghost From A Perfect Place and The Fastest Clock in the Universe, each of which have recently had major anniversary revivals in London; Mercury Fur, Piranha Heights, Leaves of Glass, Vincent River, Shivered; Moonfleece, Tender Napalm, Dark Vanilla Jungle, Tonight With Donny Stixx and the family show Feathers in the Snow. Ridley has been variously described as "a visionary" (Rolling Stone), "a genius" (Time Out), "the master of modern myth" (The Guardian) and "a major literary talent" (The Independent).

Door Number 3's creative team includes set designer Pete Hickok, lighting designer Bosco Flanagan, sound designer Christopher Moscatiello and costume designer Valerie Stevens. The production stage manager is Karen Osborne.

Performances of Radiant Vermin take place Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., Oct. 19 through Nov. 18.There will be one preview performance on Thursday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. All tickets are $32 (reserved seating) except the preview, which is$10. Discounted tickets are available for seniors ($25), patrons under 30 ($22), members of SAG/Aftra and Actors Equity ($20) and students with valid ID ($17). The Odyssey Theatre is located at 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles, 90025. For reservations and information, (323) 960-5521 or go to www.dn3theatre.org