Last week I attended a performance of The Miracle of Mary Mack's Baby at STAGEStheater in Fullerton.
Imagine if you will, a small west Texas town, it's a normal Friday night, M*A*S*H* playing on the T.V. Out of the dark, Texas sky falls to Earth a silver vessel, lands on the front lawn, steaming from what appears to be entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Up in the sky, a series of brilliant, shiny lights, pulsing in an almost hypnotic manner to a rhythmic, otherworldly beat. From the vessel emerges your child that went missing 6 months earlier...or is it?
Mary Mack is a hilariously weird, and highly entertaining popcorn play. It's exciting to discover a place like STAGEStheater because I know I'll be back. Some of the upcoming shows are Steel Dragnolias (a drag re-imagining of Steel Magnolias) and an entire evening of Twilight Zone episodes acted out on stage. Hopefully they'll be as entertaining as Mary Mack and the other townies from West Texas! Oh, and tickets range from $15-$18, and they charge $1-$2 for refreshments. It's a wallet-friendly evening out.
Most recently, I attended Dr. Cerberus at South Coast Repertory.
Expecting it to be another weird horror-themed performance, I was surprised to find that it was a thoughtful and somewhat painful to watch play about a young closeted boy growing up in Washington DC. The horror aspects were never fully worked into the plot as I had expected, but it was laugh out loud funny in some parts, and emotionally moving in others. I expected horror and got an awkward adolescent, but I loved it. If you're a fan of '80s family sitcoms, B-movie show hosts, gay issues, family issues, and the ignored and overweight geeks of the world, I think you'll like Dr. Cerberus. There were enough classic monster/horror movie references to know that the playwright, Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, is "one of us".
If you want a monthly spooky fix, why not check out GHOULA? The Ghost Hunters of Urban Los Angeles. I haven't attended a meeting yet (curse you, traffic), but I will someday. The co-founder of the group wrote a book called Disneyland After Dark. You know I'm a fan of the House of Mouse, so I hope to get my hands on a copy soon!
Oh, and speaking of Disneyland, Halloweentown is going to be hosting a new art exhibit this summer - A Tribute to the Haunted Mansion. I can't wait! I'll be there with my checkbook (hopefully)!
