Sierra Madre Playhouse presents “ An Evening with John Wilkes Booth” on Saturday and Sunday, April 23 and 24, with shows starting at 8 p.m.
In this one-man show authored by Lloyd J. Schwartz and Clinton Case, directed by Schwartz and portrayed by Stephen Spiegel, you’ll get to meet Booth, who was a famous stage star and an admired celebrity before becoming the first man to murder a President and one of the most vilified men in American history.
Learn what he thought and what motivated him: his upbringing in a family of actors, his rivalry with his more-celebrated brother Edwin (who was a Unionist); John’s love for the South, and his hate of Abraham Lincoln.
You’ll hear of the initial failed plot to kidnap Lincoln, and of the subsequent plans to not only kill Lincoln but also other political and military figures as well.
The actual assassination will be re-enacted from Booth’s point of view. See what happens when Booth begins his flight from retribution after his bloody deed, and observe the final outcome for Booth when his pursuers find him.
The show played in 2017 at the Hollywood Fringe Festival and won the Producers’ Award. It was also nominated for Best Solo Show.
“An Evening with John Wilkes Booth” is an official selection of the Sierra Madre Playhouse’s first-ever Solo Shows Festival, which opened Feb. 25 with “Billie! Backstage with Lady Day.”
Tickets are $40 General Admission, $35 for seniors, and $25 for youth 21 and under. For tickets, visit https://ci.ovationtix.com/
For more information, call (626) 355-4318 or visit www.sierramadreplayhouse.org.
Sierra Madre Playhouse is at 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. in Sierra Madre, just east of Pasadena. There’s ample free parking in lots behind the Playhouse and across the street, as well as street parking. Several dining establishments are just steps away.
