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View Winners → West Coast Premiere of ‘With Love and a Major Organ’ Debuts Sept. 28 – Nov. 5 in Pasadena
Arts Sep 25, 2017
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Boston Court will proudly produce the West Coast premiere of “With Love and a Major Organ.” Written by Julia Lederer and directed by Jessica Kubzansky, the West Coast premiere will begin previews on Sept. 28 with an Oct. 7 opening.
Whimsical, quirky, and wildly original, “With Love and a Major Organ” pushes on the ever-stranger phenomenon of physical human interaction in the age of technology. Why is it that we are ever more connected and yet we have never felt more alone? During her morning commute, a young woman falls in love with a total stranger she meets on the subway. After giving the man her actual beating heart, he disappears —leading this unlikely heroine on a quest to retrieve her heart, accidentally cracking open those of others she meets along the way. “With Love and a Major Organ” is an eccentric, edgy comedy about what it costs to give your heart away, and what happens when you discover you actually have one.
“Nearly all of us awake to tweets and other social media that offers news as bizarre as it is alienating,” says Boston Court Co-Artistic Director Jessica Kubzansky. “How we find actual connection with other human beings as opposed to through devices is a phenomenon with which we’re not yet fully comfortable. Julia’s play is both truly funny, and powerfully heartbreaking. She’s mining both the absurd lengths to which love will drive us, and the deep loneliness that emanates from protecting our frequently bruised and broken hearts. Her text is poetry for the theatre, and she pushes metaphor to its most surreal and deeply truthful limits. Our entire cast and creative team will bring even further depth to this funny and surprisingly universal story.”
The cast for “With Love and a Major Organ” is Bonita Friedericy (“Futura” at Boston Court, NBC’s “Chuck”) as Mona, Daisuke Tsuji (“American Night” at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Kirk Douglas Theatre) as George and Paige Lindsey White (“Heisenberg” at Mark Taper Forum) as Subway Rider.
NOW Magazine said of Lederer, “A brash, poetic and fiercely original voice that is equal parts pee-your-pants funny and get-out-the Kleenex poignant.” The Chicago Stage Standard adds, “Lederer has a deliciously twisted way with words…[she] transposes the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez and Salvador Plascencia onto a 21st century romantic comedy…genuinely original.”
The cast and creative team for “With Love and a Major Organ” are as follows:
– Written by Julia Lederer
– Directed by Jessica Kubzansky
– Featuring Bonita Friedericy, Daisuke Tsuji, and Paige Lindsay White
– Scenic Design: Francois-Pierre Couture
– Costume Design: Denitsa Bliznakova
– Lighting Design: Elizabeth Harper & Rose Malone
– Sound Design: John Nobori
– Projection Design: Hana Sooyeon Kim
– Properties Design: Erin Walley
– Choreography: Jordan Marinov
– Assistant Director: Katherine Hoevers
– Production Stage Manager: Natalie Figaredo
– Dramaturg: Patrick Hurley
– Casting Director: Julia Flores
Performances times include:
– Thursday, Sept. 28 through Sunday, Nov. 5
– Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m. (except as noted below)
– Previews: Wednesday, Sept 28 through Friday, Oct. 6
– Opening: Saturday, Oct. 7 at 8 p.m.
– Closing: Sunday, Nov. 5 at 2 p.m.
Specially-scheduled performances include:
– Understudy Performances: Monday, Oct. 16 at 8 p.m. and Wednesday, Oct. 18 at 8 p.m.
– No performance on Friday, Oct. 13
– Saturday Matinee, Oct. 14 at 2 p.m.
– Live Wired Night (Post-show pizza and beer included in $10 ticket price): Thursday, Oct. 12 at 8 p.m.
– Five Dollar Night ($5 Tickets available in-person one hour prior to the performance): Monday, Oct. 23 at 8 p.m. This night as well as Live Wired is generously subsidized by the Z. Clark Branson foundation.
Tickets and information:
The location will be at the Boston Court Performing Arts Center (701 N Mentor Ave., Pasadena, CA 91106). Single tickets currently range from $20 in previews to $39 in the regular run. Boston Court subscribers are encouraged to use remaining flex passes for “With Love and a Major Organ.” Additional 5-pack and 10-pack flex subscriptions are available for as low as $25 per ticket. For more information, please call (626) 683-6801 or visit BostonCourt.com.
