Eugène Ionesco's classic plays: The Bald Soprano and The Lesson at Santa Monica Playhouse

Every Friday and Saturday evening from July 28th to August 26th, the Santa Monica Playhouse will present two of Eugène Ionesco's classic plays: The Bald Soprano and The Lesson. Commemorating the Playhouse's Actors' Repertory Theatre (ART) 57th anniversary, this double-bill performance is the same one this theatre opened with in 1960 and is in both English and French.
"Life is a grotesque practical joke constantly pulling away chairs from under man's dignity and reason." - Eugène Ionesco
With an examination of the absurdity of the human condition, this quote underlines common themes of Ionesco's work: the mystery and multiplicity of daily existence, the link between the catastrophic and trivial and the ebb and flow of human foible and folly. Creating truth through fiction, Ionesco challenges us to look into his stories and see a reflection of our own lives. Relevant today to our multi-layered society, Ionesco's linguistic degeneration demonstrates the comedy and tragedy of our failed attempts to communicate.
The performances will take place in the newly refurbished Artists' Entrance Studio Upstairs, an intimate space with décor and ambiance representative of the original space featuring brand-new lighting, sound and eco-friendly technical equipment.