Octomom, the Musical in The Fake Gallery |
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StubDog.com :: Event Information And Articles :: Octomom, the Musical in The Fake Gallery
CABARET VOLTAIRE is a non-profit avant-garde organization in Los Angeles, dedicated to maintaining the artistic integrity, passion and innovation that happened in Zurich Dada 1916. The father of the Cabaret, Christian Voltaire, multi-faceted theater/film artist, wrote and produced the theatrical play, The DADAists, about the painters and poets who began the infamous DADA art movement. The production premiered at The MET Theater and was heralded by Cynthia Citron of The Beverly Hills Outlook as “One of the five worst plays ever written.” Soon after Christian began Cabaret Voltaire, which held residence at The Steve Allen Theater for three years. As the young Hugo Ball had approached Herr Ephraim, owner of the Meierei, Christian Jon Meoli (Chris Voltaire) approached James Underdown, executive director of The Center For Inquiry West, where The Steve Allen Theater is housed. Meoli said, ” Please Mr. Underdown, let me have your theater. I want to start a cabaret…that was done nearly ninety years ago in Switzerland.” But unlike Herr Ephraim, Mr. Underdown looked at Meoli with a skeptical eye and a thick Bullshit meter to match…he was on the fence. Meoli pulled out a copy of Hugo Ball’s diary FLIGHT OUT OF TIME and read a quote to Underdown. Soon after Christian began Cabaret Voltaire, which held residence at The Steve Allen Theater for three years . The avant-garde happening showcased the best of LA’s underground performers creating intelligent evenings through a cross-pollination of creative energies.
“The current Los Angeles inception is very faithful to the original Cabaret, bringing together a wide range of daring artists and everyday people from the worlds of performance art, music, spoken word, dance and original novelty.” – is what we can read from cabaret’s own website.
As an entertainment-provider, in 2008 Cabaret Voltaire brought LA’s public the puppetry show from New York City-based company dedicated to the principle that "there are no small parts, only small actors." -- Tiny Ninja Theater, founded in 1999 by Dov Weinstein, company director. Weinstein quit his job to work on the project full time, and the company soon expanded to include not only Tiny Ninjas, but also other "assorted dime-store figures," as Weinstein calls them. There are currently over 100 Tiny Ninjas in the company, as well as several aliens, robots, and special guest stars Mr. and Mrs. Smile.
The company's first show, Tiny Ninja Theater presents Macbeth, (New York International Fringe Festival’s 2000 Excellence Award for Innovation & Originality) was visiting LA’s Fake Gallery in June last year.
In 2009 Cabaret Voltaire comes back to The Fake Gallery with "Octomom", the brainchild of Chris Voltaire, who said he wanted to write a musical that mirrors this era of excess and wanting more. The show uses the story of an opportunistic young woman (Nadya Sulleman) who becomes the mother of octuplets as a springboard to explore the national ethos of greed in a time of economic collapse. One of Los Angeles' most relied-upon voice coaches, also a published singer and songwriter for film and television Rachael Lawrence has written 14 original songs for the musical.Octomom! The Musical is opening at the Fake Gallery in Los Angeles on July 18.
Voltaire told radio station KFWB. "The whole point of writing this show was to really capture this unprecedented moment in our modern history. … Aspects of our society are reaching points that we will not be able to sustain. I'm trying to create the theme of American excess, told in a very comedic and fun way."As for the musical bits, he says, "the show is always going to be different -- special guests! surprises! flying babies! -- and there will definitely be singalongs."
Suleman, who recently signed a contract for a reality show and has begun working with a ghostwriter on a book, has nothing to do with the production. Still, the show's creator is offering her an open invitation anytime she wants to attend. "We have a whole row of seats – 14 of them – reserved for her," says Chris Voltaire, who not only wrote the musical but will also play the role of Suleman's controversial fertility doctor.
Must-see for everyone who preferes to have some laughs instead of tears over "jon&kate plus 8 divided by 2"?
