A deeply lyrical and darkly comic meditation on the sacred and profane that is the fifth installment in Mednick’s eight-play “Gary Plays” cycle, Padua Playwrights presents the world premiere of DaddyO Dies Well. Written and directed by legendary poet-playwright Murray Mednick, the play runs April 2 through May 22 at the Electric Lodge in Venice.
Synopsis: Down-on-his-luck Gary takes a psychedelic Ayahuasca trip at the behest of DaddyO, his hipster stepfather. DaddyO is dying, and before he goes, he wants to help his stepson get over his problems. He invites Gary over for tea – but this is not your ordinary Earl Grey. It’s Ayahuasca, a powerful hallucinogenic favored by the indigenous peoples of South America. Under the guidance of DaddyO and Antonio the “Angel of Death,” Gary is brought to understand the pulse and power of organic life on earth in a lyrically comic return to themes explored in Mednick’s earlier “Coyote Cycle.” Gary’s trip takes him to the mountains and forests of South America, and the flutes and drums of the Andes complement the musicality of Mednick’s language
DaddyO Dies Well is written and directed by Murray Mednick and presented by Padua Playwrights under the artistic direction of Guy Zimmerman. Set design is by Matt Aston; lighting design is by Dan Reed; costume design is by Melody Brocious; projection design is by Marc I. Rosenthal; sound design is by John Zalewski; stage manager is Laura Manchester; producer is Roger Q. Mason; and executive producer is Racquel Lehrman.
Murray Mednick, a pioneer of the Off and Off-Off Broadway movements in the ’60s and ’70s and playwright-in-residence for Theater Genesis, wrote such ground-breaking works as The Hawk, The Hunter, Sand, Are You Lookin’ and The Deer Kill (1970 OBIE Award for Outstanding Play), and was the founder/artistic director of the Padua Hills Playwrights Workshop/Festival in Los Angeles from 1978 to 1995. He is the recipient of two Rockefeller Foundation grants and a Guggenheim Fellowship, an American Theatre Critics Association Best New Play citation (for Joe and Betty), a Career Achievement Award from the LA Weekly, an Ovation Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributions to Los Angeles Theater from the L.A. Stage Alliance, a Local Hero Award from Back Stage West, and the Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle’s Margaret Harford Award for Sustained Excellence in Theater. The Los Angeles productions of Joe and Betty and Mrs. Feuerstein went on to successful New York runs.
Written and Directed by Murray Mednick
Starring Peggy Ann Blow, Strawn Bovee, Hugh Dane, Elizabeth Greer, Jack Kehler, Melissa Paladino, and Casey Sullivan
Presented by Padua Playwrights
Produced by Roger Q. Mason
Executive Producer Racquel Lehrman, Theatre Planners
Preview: April 1
Performances: April 2 – May 22:
Fridays at 8 pm: April 1 (Preview), 8, 15, 22, 29; May 6, 13, 20
Saturdays at 8 pm: April 2 (Opening Night), 16, 23, 30; May 7, 14, 21
Sundays at 2 pm: April 3, 17, 24, 31; May 8, 14, 22
Electric Lodge, 1416 Electric Avenue, Venice CA 90291 (one block east of Abbot Kinney). Call: (323) 960-7724 or plays411.com/DaddyO. Cost: General Admission: $25; Preview: $12.50