Production company founder says he will seek out creators
New theaters in Vegas come a dime a dozen, but every now and then one gives hope of staying power.
Shawn Hackler has been acting, playwriting, designing and directing around town for years. What's surprising is that he's done all four things well. He's also known around town as a willing collaborator. As College of Southern Nevada performing arts chief Joe Hammond put it recently, "He's the one to watch."
Hackler is putting together Butcher Block Productions, which he hopes to have up and running in March. His list of upcoming scripts includes "The America Play," by renowned -- and rarely performed in Vegas -- writer Suzan-Lori Parks. Also listed is Eugene Ionesco's "The Chairs," Sam Shepard's "Buried Child," and -- just so we don't get too serious -- Faith Soloway and Lisa McQueen's "Co-Ed Prison Sluts," a musical about a new inmate learning the ropes.
Butcher Block will call Las Vegas Little Theatre's small studio home for now, although Hackler says the company probably will drift around a lot.
"I want to do theater that I want to do," he explains. "(I) have a fire under my belly. I'll seek out creators. I'll surround myself with artists from as many different disciplines I can find." More info: butcherblocklv.com.
Many people told me they wish they had had a chance to see Chazz Palminteri in his recent very limited run "A Bronx Tale" at The Venetian. Now, perhaps, there will be fewer excuses. Palminteri will be bringing his one-man autobiographical play back to the casino April 28-May 9, and then again Oct. 6-18. It's a surprisingly dramatic vision of Palminteri's youthful years, so well-performed that you could be easily fooled into thinking you're watching a shameful group of characters. Who knew drama could work so well on the Strip?
Word that the Utah Shakespearean Festival's 2007 original production of "Lend Me a Tenor -- the Musical" might be headed for London, can only be good news for all of us. It's no secret that theater across the country is hurting, and the Utah fest doesn't deserve to be hurting. In addition to the prestige, a hit London (and Broadway?) show could gift the fest of a cash cow it desperately needs. Interesting, too, would be to watch the London version and compare it to the original. It's fun to see how new musicals often drastically change on the road, and I imagine what we might see in England will compare little with what we saw in Cedar City.
We don't have much local theater playing Monday nights, but Insurgo will be opening its doors twice March 1. Ernie Curcio's "Rambis," about an ill father getting ready to run off from Vegas to Mexico with his son, has a show scheduled at 8 p.m., while "The Sex Comedies," a sometimes warm and always funny look at everyone's favorite subject, will play at 10:30 p.m. at the Insurgo Theatre, 900 E. Karen Ave., No. D114.
Anthony Del Valle can be reached at DelValle@aol.com. You can write him c/o Las Vegas Review-Journal, P.O. Box 70, Las Vegas NV 89125.
