The Little Dog Laughed, by Douglas Carter Beane
- When: Saturday, March 27, 2010, 7:30 p.m.
- Where: The Weekend Theater, Little Rock
- Cost: $10 - $14
- Age limit: Not available
- Categories: Theater
The Weekend Theater, 7th & Chester in downtown Little Rock
PLEASE NOTE: These dates are different from those planned when The Weekend Theater's season was announced and the brochures printed. This drama will also have Sunday matinees.
FOR IMMEDIATE CALENDAR & PRESS RELEASE
The Little Dog Laughed, The Weekend Theater, 7th & Chester in Downtown Little Rock across from Vino's, 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 2:30 Sundays, March 19-28. $14, $10 for students and seniors age 65 and older. For more information or reservations call 501-374-3761 or visit www.weekendtheater.org
The Little Dog Laughed
By Douglas Carter Beane
March 19, 20, 21, 26, 27, 28
Receiving a 2007 Tony Award Best Play nomination, The Little Dog Laughed follows the adventures of Mitchell Green, a movie star who could hit big if it weren’t for one teensy-weensy problem: his agent, Diane, can’t seem to keep him in the closet. Using satire’s risqué humor to reveal the deeply ingrained arti ce of Hollywood, the play’s deeper level shows the masks everyone wears, and the pain they hide. With twists and turns that keep audiences guessing, the production cleverly re ects America’s celebrity-obsessed culture, the price of ambition, the luxury tax on love, and the unexpected packaging in which dreams invariably arrive. Directed by Andy Hall.
Ticket prices for musicals are $18, $14 for students and seniors age 65 and older. Tickets for dramas are $14, $10 for students and seniors. Shows start at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Oliver!, Rent, and Jekyll & Hyde will also have Sunday matinees at 2:30. Season tickets for 12 full length productions are available for $150.
Such Sport We Humans Make
“The Little Dog Laughed” Opens March 19 at the Weekend Theater
So just what is behind the metaphorical masks we wear to navigate our way through life? In the case of “Little Dog Laughed,” there’s some deliciously funny – and thought-provoking – satire involving an actor who’s expert at hiding behind a character, and not only onscreen.
Director Andy Hall describes “The Little Dog Laughed” as “a comedy with a sprinkle of drama here and there,” and notes that he laughed out loud several times even the first time he read it.
“But it is also topical, about the pursuit of fame, going to outlandish lengths – think the Balloon boy and the White House party crashers along with ‘Jon & Kate’ and the ‘Real Housewives.’ People are willing to do almost anything for fame, or power, or money,” Hall says.
Take, for example, Mitchell (Ian Moore) an affable, popular, young actor, who is on the verge of superstardom. His powerful agent, Diane (Regi Bragg-Ott) is trying to secure him his big break movie role as a gay man – while, at the same time, trying to keep under wraps Mitchell’s sudden, blossoming relationship with Alex (Justin Pike), a male prostitute. (As Diane notes, in the odd politics of the movie business, a straight actor playing a gay role is award material, but a gay man can’t be a matinee idol.)
Mitchell has had other encounters with men, but only when drunk; whether out of confusion or just plain old denial, he and Alex insist to each other that they’re not gay – Alex does, after all, have a girlfriend. But that girlfriend, Ellen (Cara VonderBruegge), is beginning to realize that maybe she’s been willfully blind to her situation for a little too long.
“So this show has four characters - one who is obsessed with fame, one with power, one with security manifesting in greed and sex and one who has sex for money,” Hall says. “Although the characters are broad at times each is well drawn and relatable. I think audiences will be entertained and enlightened at the same time.”
“The Little Dog Laughed” was first presented off Broadway in early 2006, moving on to a Broadway run later in the year, resulting in a Tony nomination for best play and a win for best supporting actress. It is also currently running in a limited engagement in London’s West End theater district.
For more information, visit www.weekendtheater.org or call the theater at 501-374-3761.
