Storm Large to Star in CRAZY ENOUGH at Portland Center Theater

She stared down the barrel of reality TV fame, rose to #5 on the Billboard charts and then tackled the trial by fire that was her theatrical debut in Cabaret. Now Storm Large will take the biggest risk yet- by shining a light into the darkest and most intimate corners of her own past and inviting all the world to take a look in Crazy Enough, her autobiographical one woman show that features 8 brand new songs and just under two hours of stories about the places she's been (that most people never speak of) and the things she's overcome (that make music stardom seem like child's play). Crazy Enough previews on Tuesday March 31st, opens on Friday, April 3rd and runs through June 7th, 2009. Tickets range from $25.50 to $48.50, with student and under 30 discounts available. Show times are 7:30 pm Tuesday through Saturday, with a 2:00 pm Sunday matinee and alternating Saturday 2:00 pm and Sunday 7:30 pm performances. See the show calendar at http://tickets.pcs.org/buytickets/calendar.asp for the complete performance schedule.

Storm's journey to creating a one-woman show started with a lunch conversation at Bluehour. Delighted with her success in Cabaret and fascinated by Storm's stories of her intense early life, Portland Center Stage Artistic Director Chris Coleman asked Storm if she had ever considered writing a piece for the theater. She responded that she'd always thought she'd like to do some kind cabaret show- a few songs, a few jokes. A year of lunch meetings, writing groups, breakdowns, workshops and studio recordings later, she is ready to premiere a piece that is less like a cabaret act and more like a bathroom confessional: raw, honest, deeply lyrical and more than a little bit filthy... exactly like Storm herself.

Available for purchase throughout the production will be the CD of Crazy Enough, featuring 8 brand new songs written with Jim Beaton and recorded for the production, including the raunchy, hilarious, and incredibly addictive song "My Vagina is Eight Miles Wide." Another song from the show, "Outside Inside" was inspired by a phone call to David Bowie, who decided not to release the rights to his song "Rock n' Roll Suicide" for use in the show because he thought Storm was "too vulgar and sexually inappropriate." The lullabies, rants and rock anthems of the album are interspersed throughout the show with stories and memories all shared in the intimate environment of a late night sound check at a storied rock venue (think CBGBs or Storm's beloved Dante's).

The show begins with the revelation that a psychiatrist pulled Storm aside when she was 9 year old and told her that, based on the progression of her mother's schizophrenia, Storm would most likely be completely crazy herself before she hit 30 years old. From there it's a wild ride with a woman who has no reason to play it safe: through teenage sexual addiction, club fame, heartache, abortion, heroin, break ups and breakdown until her discovery of music pulls her out of the abyss and onto a global stage.

Storm Large has been singing and slinging inappropriate banter at audiences around the globe for more than 15 years. Seven years ago she moved to Portland and quickly, with her band The Balls, went from wild club act to legendary cult status. In 2006 she was tapped to be on CBS' Rockstar: Supernova. This three-month stint on television gained her worldwide fame, and in late 2006, her single, "Ladylike," debuted at #5 on the hot singles chart in Billboard magazine.

 

For the next two years she and The Balls hit the road, touring all around the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Iceland and Singapore. In 2007, tired of touring and missing Portland, Storm took a chance and accepted the role of Sally Bowles in PCS' production of Cabaret. The production turned out to be a huge hit and Storm fell in love with the theater. Crazy Enough is the first theater piece Storm has ever written and, by far, the scariest thing she's ever done. However, she likes to point out that a great artist once said, "The thing that scares you the most is the very thing you should do."

Storm's band will consist of James Beaton (a member of Storm's band, The Balls, and a former member of Everclear), Jim Brunberg (also known around town as a co-owner of the recently renovated Mississippi Studios) and Scott Weddle.

The production will be directed by Artistic Director Chris Coleman and music directed by James Beaton. Scenic designer is Russell Parkman, costume design will be by Jeff Cone, sound design will be by Casi Pacilio and lighting will be designed by Peter Maradudin.

Additional support for this production has been provided by the Curtis T. Thompson, MD and Associates, Sherman Clay and Moe's Pianos, and the James F. and Marion Miller Foundation. Media support has been provided by Kink.fm.

Portland Center Stage's 2008/09 season is funded in part by the Regional Arts & Culture Council and Work for Art, the Oregon Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts, a federal agency.

Portland Center Stage inspires our community by bringing stories to life in unexpected ways. Established in 1988 as an off shoot of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, PCS became an independent theater in 1994 and has been under the leadership of Artistic Director Chris Coleman since May 2000. The company presents a blend of classic, contemporary and original productions in a conscious effort to appeal to the eclectic palate of theatergoers in Portland. PCS also offers a variety of education and outreach programs for curious minds from six to 106, including the PCS GreenHouse, a school of theater.

THE GERDING THEATER AT THE ARMORY houses a 599-seat Main Stage and a 200-seat black box Studio. It was the first building on the National Register of Historic Places, and the first performing arts venue, to achieve a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification. The Gerding Theater at the Armory opened to the public on Oct. 1, 2006. The capital campaign to fund the renovation of this hub for community artistic activity continues.

 

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