Los Angeles Theater Feature: DEATH OF A SALESGIRL (Bootleg)

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by Tony Frankel on November 2, 2012

in Theater-Los Angeles

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID

Bootleg Theater continues its run of the world premiere of Death of a Salesgirl, an absurdist tragicomedy with integrated media, about one woman’s struggle to free herself from her past. Written by Patricia Scanlon, and starring Scanlon and Paul Dillon, Death of a Salesgirl is a dark and humorous parable of a salesgirl breaking in new territory.  This intensely creative interdisciplinary performance piece incorporates video projections, animation and a uniquely crafted set.

Tony Frankel's Stage and Cinema feature on DEATH OF A SALESGIRL at Bootleg in Los AngelesThe production is a serendipitous collaboration by a team of long-time Los Angeles theater artists who have created an experience that will amuse, touch, startle and inspire the audience.  The play is directed by Matthew McCray, who recently received a rave review from Stage and Cinema for Son of Semele’s most recent production, The City.  Video designer Adam Flemming (is responsible for the ethereal and haunting projections, which are enhanced by the animation of Dan Lund, who was recently nominated for an Annie Award for his work on Disney’s Winnie The Pooh.  Scenic designer Francois-Pierre Couture (Hamlet, Prince of Puddles) crafts the magical world of the play, designing both the lighting and the set, and John Zalewski (Peace in Our Time) provides the soundscape.

Tony Frankel's Stage and Cinema feature on DEATH OF A SALESGIRL at Bootleg in Los AngelesDeath of a Salesgirl follows Cat (Patricia Scanlon), a struggling salesgirl on her mission to break in new territory.  Sales aren’t what they used to be and Cat longs for the satisfaction she once found in “a mutually beneficial, yet heartfelt, exchange between two consenting human beings.”  As Cat prepares to stake out new territory alone in a seedy Hopperesque motel, she succumbs to a strange and disorienting nostalgia that invites a mysterious visitor, Frank (Paul Dillon).  Gin, magic and mayhem ensue, and Cat soon finds herself caught between two worlds.  As the real and surreal collide, Cat is forced to decide between the two or remain forever stuck between them in the cramped motel, in the middle of the night, in the middle of nowhere.

photos by Justin Zsebe

Death of a Salesgirl
Bootleg Theater
Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30
scheduled to end on November 17, 2012
for tickets, call 213-389-3856 or visit http://www.bootlegtheater.org

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