L.A. WEEKLY

The late-night shows change every week, but if Fun Time With Quirk & Rayner is an accurate indication of the standard, the rest of the run is worth a visit. Magician, mind-reader and charlatan Rob Zabrecky opened the evening, with the appearance and temperament of your local undertaker. Yes, he could blindly identify the drawings made by random audience members, and he made a pack of playing cards diminish in size each time he shuffled. The real deal was the macabre demeanor and his asides about being an odd child. It was his grandfather’s 95th birthday. The old man made an appearance in an urn topped with a party hat. Englishwoman Moira Quirk followed with a slide show about her two kids with hubby — and main act — Michael Rayner. When you give birth, she explained with droll cheer, first comes the baby, then the placenta, and you feel everything that ever made you interesting as a person dropping out of you. What followed was a pleasing photographic portrait of her young daughters, partly cherubic, partly demonic, told from a reluctantly suburban point of view. Rayner’s been on this stage before, and his act is much the same, which is not a problem, because the heart of the humor is not his ability to juggle a bowling ball and ax and rag doll, or to keep a tennis racket suspended by batting it between two sticks, or to disassemble a cheeseburger by having it roll along a swiftly turning parasol, or to juggle fire sticks while hanging upside down. No, that’s nothing. The act’s real joy comes when he catches the ax mid-flight, tongue perched on the tip of his lip and exclaims with glee, “Oh boy! That was close!” That’s the kid you always wanted to hang out with — the outsider who’s inside a Mad Magazine universe — and whose oddity is a source of self-respect. --Steven Leigh Morris

LIFE.  DEATH.  HAY FEVER.

An all-new evening of music, movement
and mirth from Sacred Fools' resident
vaudevillian clowns, Ten West.

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INEFFABLE

INEFFABLE is the latest inspired comedy offering from Ten West, written and performed by Stephen Simon and Jon Monastero, directed by Bryan Coffee. Stephen Simon and Jon Monastero are the talented two-man team of Ten West. Their signature blend of physical virtuosity and inventive comedy, coupled with poignant writing, broad audience appeal, and a unique theatrical style inspired by vaudeville, commedia and clowning, has made them a consistent highlight of the comedy circuit.

Though no words are actually spoken onstage, whole worlds of adventure, emotion, and affection are conveyed in INEFFABLE, in which a pair of hapless pallbearers get caught up in an exploration of the mysteries of life and death and hay fever. INEFFABLE expands on original material Jon and Stephen created for the Toyota Symphonies for Youth show THE COMPOSER IS DEAD with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at The Walt Disney Concert Hall in February and March of 2008.

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FUNTIME WITH QUIRK & RAYNER

Michael C. Rayner is a purveyor of wacky jugglement and preposterous brilliance. A favorite at previous Sacred Fools shows, he looks forward to introducing new multimedia pieces and oddball performance art- including his intriguing Christian appearance in Hustler magazine and the debut of The Plate Spinning Conundrum and The Appearing Donut Manipulation. He will reprise his famous (perhaps infamous?) spinning cheeseburger trick- where he spins a McDonald’s cheeseburger on top of an umbrella until it explodes from sheer centrifugal force.

Moira Quirk’s act is a sly, brilliant take on the American perception of British reserve concealing a capacity for outrageousness. She makes it all go down with precision delivery and crisp timing. In this vein she will introduce her new piece Bloody Baby! alone on stage aided only by advanced Kodak Carousel Slide Technology.

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Song, dance and dangerous sideshow stunts!  More Info...

Set in a small town populated by carnival performers, Flawedville tells the story of a young man who sets out to seek his fortune, only to have the realities of his old life come back to haunt him.

FreakShow Deluxe hits the stage like a raucous freight-train - full of sexy performers, stunning visuals and a sense of humor that keeps the audience enthralled. Like the voice from a bygone era, the FreakShow Deluxe comes straight out of America's mythology. It is a dark vaudevillian extravaganza that keeps spectators coming back for more.

This ain't your grandma’s musical!

AMY
MARK
KAT
REVEREND
FOOL
SMITH
BEARDED LADY
MAGICIAN
TATTOOED SPIDORA
FIRE-EATER
GIANTESS
HENCHMAN

Amy Amnesia
Jonathan Farnsworth
Juliette Angeli
Reverend Tommy Gunn
Brother Daniel
The Professor
Iridescence
Zachary Strange
The Devil's Plaything
Vincent Wolf
Kitty Karloff
Clay Van Sickle

Music Director
Choreographer
Rigger

Daniel Hopkins
Malice Aforethought
Clay Van Sickle

Accompaniment Recorded by Brother Daniel
Engineered by Randy Tomimitsu

Join Mystere, the world's greatest illusionist, as he welcomes his friends for an evening of pieces about thwarted ambitions, everlasting love, and wacky conundrums.

Based on the long-running cult hit Darque Magick that played for over 30 weeks as part of Sacred Fools’ late night series Serial Killers, the evening's line-up will also feature the return of Dick and Jane: A Love Story and the sweetly surreal Warning Labels.

IT'S MYSTERE!
directed by
Scott Leggett

Starring Peter Alton, Jaime Andrews, Anthony Backman,
Michael Lanahan, Michael Holmes, Heather Hopkins, Michelle Gunn,
Stacey Jackson, Scott Leggett, JJ Mayes, Natasha Norman,
Bruno Oliver, Jenelle Riley & Troy Vincent
and Joe Fria as MYSTERE

The World Premiere of

Alexandra Billings' musical night of song and story highlighting her journey coming home to the City of Angels. The audience will be treated to cabaret standards and new material punctuated by stories of wandering here and there from the award winning actress and singer. Featuring award winning composer and pianist Billy Thompson and soloist Matt Valle.

This is the world premiere of Ms. Billings' new show, and the first stop in what will be a national tour.  Sacred Fools is excited and honored that she has chosen our intimate space over a larger venue.