The Costa Mesa Playhouse continues its 52nd season with Charles Buschs Red Scare on Sunset, a campy spoof of the 1950s Hollywood Blacklist and the anti-communist paranoia of the McCarthy era. Performances are Sept. 9 through Oct. 2, 2016. The time: the fifties; the place: Hollywood, where film star Mary Dale finds the Red Menace invading her own Beverly Hills backyard. When she discovers that her husband has been lured into the local Communist party by way of a method acting class and that there is a left wing plot afoot to abolish the star system, Mary wages a private war to save her husband, her country and billing over the title. The McCarthy era is turned on its head in this novel take on a serious subject. Although Red Scare on Sunset premiered in 1991, it contains clear parallels to todays political climate. Charles Busch, who wrote the female lead for himself to perform in drag, tells his tale in the style of such red-baiting propaganda films of the late Forties and early Fifties as The Red Menace, I Married a Communist and My Son John. Red Scare on Sunset is directed by playhouse president Michael Dale Brown, and stars Jon Sparks as Mary Dale, with Julia Boese, Bill Carson, Angel Correa, Drew Fitzsimmons, Alexandra Moniz, Robert Moniz, Michelle Pedersen, and John Sturgeon. The playhouse is located at 661 Hamilton Street in Costa Mesa.
Bursting forth from Canada’s capital, native Producer/DJ crew A Tribe Called Red is producing a truly unique sound that’s impacting the global electronic scene and urban club culture. Since 2010 the group currently made up DJ NDN, Bear Witness and 2oolman has been mixing traditional pow wow vocals and drumming with cutting-edge electronic music. Their self-titled album, released in March 2012, was long-listed for Canada’s prestigious Polaris Music Prize and included in the Washington Post’s top 10 albums of the year.In a sense, ATCR’s music is the soundtrack to a contemporary evolution of the pow wow: their Electric Pow Wow events in Ottawa showcase native talent and aboriginal culture, alongside an open, wild party. Within a couple of years they’ve become the face of an urban Native youth renaissance, championing their heritage and speaking out on aboriginal issues, while being on top of popular music, fashion and art. Bear Witness doubles as the crew’s visual artist and creates stunning, political and sometimes humorous videos that incorporate film and pop culture references to native people and reclaim the aboriginal image. On May 7th, A Tribe Called Red released their second full-length album, Nation II Nation in Canada and in the USA on Tribal Spirit Music. The album was nominated on the shortlist of the Polaris Music Prize as one of the 10 best Canadian album of the year and 4 APCMAs (Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award) for best group, best producer, best album and best cover art. ATCR have also collaborated and produced one of the last known Das Racist song called Indians From All Directions as well as the song A Tribe Called Red on Angel Haze’s album Dirty Gold.
Line-up /A Tribe Called Red
American producer, Andrew Chen aka Shogun, is the first Asian DJ and producer to be signed to S107/Armada. Whether it is remixing for the world’s number one DJ – Armin van Buuren, or for Grammy nominated singer and songwriter Nadia Ali, Shogun’s productions have gained him full support from the biggest names in the industry including Ferry Corsten, Paul Van Dyk, Above & Beyond, Armin van Buuren, Gareth Emery, and Markus Schulz just to name a few.
Costa Mesa Playhouse continues its 52nd season with Charles Busch’s Red Scare on Sunset, a campy spoof of the 1950s Hollywood Blacklist and the anti-communist paranoia of the McCarthy era, September 9 – October 2, 2016.
The time: the fifties; the place: Hollywood, where film star Mary Dale finds the Red Menace invading her own Beverly Hills backyard. When she discovers that her husband has been lured into the local Communist party by way of a method acting class and that there is a left wing plot afoot to abolish the star system, Mary wages a private war to save her husband, her country and billing over the title. The McCarthy era is turned on its head in this novel take on a serious subject.
Red Scare on Sunset is directed by playhouse president Michael Dale
Brown, and stars Jon Sparks as Mary Dale, with Julia Boese, Bill Carson, Angel Correa, Drew Fitzsimmons, Alexandra Moniz, Robert Moniz, Michelle Pedersen, and John Sturgeon.
Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $20 general admission and $18 for students and seniors. Discounts available for groups of 10 or more.