Antaeus Theatre Company presents the Los Angeles premiere of Everybody, a funny, provocative and very modern riff on a 15th-century morality play by Branden Jacobs-Jenkins, directed by Jennifer Chang. Performances take place at Glendale’s Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center Sept. 16 through Oct. 17.
Adapted from the medieval morality play Everyman (or The Summoning of Everyman), Jacobs-Jenkins’ Everybody is an allegorical journey through life in which the title character, “Everybody,” searches for a companion, “Somebody,” who will accompany them to their appointment with “Death” (Anne Gee Byrd). Overseeing Everybody’s quest are “God” (Cherish Monique Duke), “Time” (Dawn Didawick) and “Love” (Alberto Isaac). Meanwhile, Everybody and the Somebodies, who number among them “Friendship,” “Beauty” and “Stuff,” are portrayed on a rotating basis by actors Lisa Sanaye Dring, Nicole Erb, Harry Groener, Antonio Jaramillo and Gerard Joseph. Representing the randomness of death, each of these roles is assigned by lottery at every performance—resulting in 120 possible combinations. Each of these actors must memorize the entire script and be prepared to play any role.
Everybody premiered off-Broadway at the Signature Theatre in 2017 and was a 2018 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. The Huffington Post calls it “theater rather unlike anything you might have seen…unusual, unconventional and eye-opening… not only provocative and involving, it is also funny. Wildly funny, in fact.”
SHOWTIMES:
Performances Sept. 16 – Oct. 17
• Tuesday at 8 p.m.: Sept. 13 ONLY (preview)
• Wednesday at 8 p.m.: Sept. 14 ONLY (preview)
• Thursdays at 8 p.m.: Sept. 15 (preview), Oct. 6 and Oct. 13 ONLY
• Fridays at 8 p.m.: Sept. 16 (Opening), Sept. 23, Sept. 30, Oct. 7, Oct. 14
• Saturdays at 2 p.m.: Sept. 24, Oct. 1, Oct. 8, Oct. 15 (no matinee on Sept. 17)
• Saturdays at 8 p.m.: Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Oct. 1, Oct. 8, Oct. 15
• Sundays at 2 p.m.: Sept. 18, Sept. 25, Oct. 2, Oct. 9, Oct. 16
• Mondays at 8 p.m.: Sept. 26, Oct. 3, Oct. 10. Oct. 17 (dark Sept. 19)
LOCATION:
Kiki & David Gindler Performing Arts Center
110 East Broadway
Glendale 91205
(between N. Brand Blvd. and Artsakh Ave.)
Parking: first 90 minutes free, then $2 per hour in Glendale Marketplace garage located at 120 S. Artsakh Ave. (between Broadway and Harvard)
TICKETS:
• All performances (reserved seating):$40
• Previews: $20
Call (818) 506-1983 or visit www.antaeus.org.
Photo credit: Anne Gee Byrd, Gerard Joseph, Nicole Erb, Lisa Sanaye Dring and Antonio Jaramillo in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ “Everybody” presented by Antaeus Theatre Company / Photo by Jenny Graham