Monday, May 28, 2012
FELLOWSHIP! Now Playing at Trepany House at Steve Allen Theatre
Fellowship! The Hit Musical is now playing Fridays at 8pm and 11pm at Trepany House at Steve Allen Theatre through June 29. Fellowship! is the musical parody of The Fellowship of the Ring, the first book of The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Long ago and far away, a little fellow, Frodo the Hobbit, goes on a long journey to rid himself of a ring that is the repository of evil power. Those who seek unchecked destructive power want possession of the ring, but Frodo is aided by companions (hence the title) in his mission to dispose of it.
Sounds like a pretty straightforward adventure, right? Not the way that Fellowship! director and co-creator Joel McCrary presents it. He’s assembled a cast of skilled comedic actors, the town’s best sketch comedy artists and improvisers (so that no two performances will be exactly alike) and plays the story for laughs. And it is hilarious. The fantasy of a distant time and place with races of magical beings both small and gigantic, objects with mystic power, a quest fraught with danger, spells beyond human comprehension, a brave little hero and, well, fellowship lends itself easily to the musical’s spirit of fun.
Fans of the original Tolkien book and of the feature film will naturally enjoy this mildly twisted take on the source material. But if you’ve never read the book nor seen the movie, you’ll still enjoy the romp through ancient times of danger, glory and noble purpose, punctuated throughout by jokes. It’s a musical, and the songs are fun, too.
L.A.’s funniest cast includes Lisa Frederickson, Kelly Holden-Bashar, Edi Patterson, Lauren Pritchard, Cory Rouse, Brian Jones, Ryan Smith, Chris Tallman, Peter Allen Vogt, Cedric Yarbrough, Matthew Stephen Young and Mark Gagliardi. If you missed Fellowship! in its previous Los Angeles engagements, don’t miss it this time. It’s back in Hollywood for a limited engagement.
Featuring book by Kelly Holden-Bashar and Joel McCrary, music by Allen Simpson, lyrics and additional material by Brian D. Bradley, Lisa Frederickson, Kelly Holden-Bashar, Joel McCrary, Edi Patterson, Steve Purnick, Cory Rouse, Allen Simpson, Ryan Smith, Peter Allen Vogt and Matthew Stephen Young. Directed by Joel McCrary. Musical director: Gary Stockdale. Produced by Kevin Harvey, Audrey Wasilewski and Lyle Kanouse for Senovva.
Trepany House at Steve Allen Theatre is located at 4773 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90027. Tickets are $30. Students with I.D., $20. For tickets call (800) 595-4849 or go to www.fellowshipthemusical.com.
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