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based on 2 ratings
musicals and operas
That Great & Dreadful Day-Tall Tales From The American Swamp
the swamp company · family friendly · world premiere · Ages 5+
ComedySportz LA
June
26
at
5:00 PM
June
26,
27
at
7:00 PM
June
27
at
3:00 PM
June
27
at
11:00 AM
Stella Adler -- Los Angeles
June
21,
24
at
8:00 PM
Fringe Central
June
18
at
8:00 PM
June
19
at
6:30 PM
June
20
at
2:00 PM
contact: jack curenton • send message
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO CAME AND SUPPORTED THE SHOW, SEE YOU AGAIN SOON…
The money is spend, the theatre’s reserved….now just come one come all for a hootin’n hollerin good time!!
>>>REVIEW….LA Theatre Review 6/27 by Ashley Steed
That Great & Dreadful Day-Tall Tales From The American Swamp at ComedySportz LA ~
I have a deep love for the blues, bluegrass and really anything that makes me stomp my feet and clap my hands. That Great & Dreadful Day weaves monologues (Jack E. Curenton) about a band in Louisiana with original music by D. Minor.
The story chronicles Lawrence Douglas Minor’s life from the roaring 20s to the 60s. Although Curenton does a great job with the monologues, evoking the classic oral story telling tradition of the Deep South, the real strength of this show is the music.
I was surprised to find out that all the songs were original music. I’ve never heard them before, yet they all sounded so familiar. It felt as if the Swamp Opera band had been playing together for ages. Special praise goes out to Mary Stuart who wrote and sang “Louisiana Blues.” Her raspy and earthy voice goes straight through your soul. D. Minor as the lead guitarist and singer definitely knows how to get the audience to tap their toes.
For anyone who loves bluegrass, Americana, folk, and the blues this is sure to entertain.
Plays June 27 at 3p, 7p
TRUST ME…YOU DON’T WANT TO MISS THIS TRIP…CAUSE YOU AIN’T NEVER SEEN NOTHING LIKE IT BEFORE….“IF THE ROLLING STONES GREW UP IN LOUISIANA…THEY’D PROBABLY SOUND JUST LIKE US!!”, Dee Miner
TICKETING: At the door. Pay What You Want or Can…
This all-acoustic “Swamp Operetta” is a play in the musical theatre variety. The “Tall Tale” is centered on the life experiences of the Blues Musician, one Laurence Douglas Miner and his small group of cohorts as spun in the first person by the “Storyteller” in the Here & Now.
Staged on a sharecropper’s cabin during Depression-era Louisiana continuing through the War Years and into the 1960’s, the tales are told and the original songs are sung by a cast of seven in period costume who play out the “Tale” with their dialogue from the There & Then… By the time the lightenin’ strikes, one is hard-pressed to tell whether the tales were true, half-true, or just out’n out lies. Standing ovations and rave reviews continue to propel this production to Sold-out performances
RESERVATIONS ARE HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!
REVIEWS:
>>>"DO NOT LET A CHANCE TO SEE THIS PASS YOU BY!
I saw it at the Adler. If schedule allows, I’m going to PAY to go see it again during Fringe because it was that good. Whether you hit it up at the Adler or at the Fringe, GO. If you don’t go and hear raves from others down the road who did? Don’t come whining to me after the fact because I Told You So. Pam Noles
>>>"A juke joint-style amalgam of song, story, hootin’ and hollerin"- Mindy Farabee, Los Angeles Times.
>>>“The murky swamps of the the Louisiana Bayous brings a surprisingly sweet smell — and even better music — to Hollywood… A soulful, acoustic “swamp operetta,” the show is a bluesy journey through the life of musician Laurence Douglas Miner and his band from their Depression-era beginnings into the free-spirited 60s…music is really what this production is about, it’s worth noting that the songs do in fact make every minute of this show worth it…. a delightful musical ride through the backwoods swamps of the Old South.” Stephanie Taylor for LAist
>>>"There’s concept and then there’s follow-through…and when it comes to musical-act-meets-theatrical-performance, you can’t help but be impressed by the efforts of the Black Tongued Bells music. In their original stage production you’ll hear what’s been described as ‘Electrified jug-band-blues sauce with a Waitsain twist’, see if your life is changed in a backwoods way forever."- Los Angeles City Beat
>>>"This is an exceptionally special entertainment event—there is nothing quite like it anywhere—a class act all the way…deserves the attention of audiences everywhere" -Jana Pendragon, KXLU 88.9FM
Photo Gallery: http://www.theblacktonguedbells.com/Unplugged/index.html
Sample Songs: http://www.theblacktonguedbells.com/track_samples_acoustic.html
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Here is the recent review by LAist...
'That Great & Dreadful Day…Tall Tales from the American Swamp' at the Hollywood Fringe.
- by Stephanie Taylor for LAist
The murky swamps of the the Louisiana Bayous brings a surprisingly sweet smell -- and even better music -- to Hollywood as That Great and Dreadful Day: Tall Tales from the American Swamp joins the lineup at this week's Fringe Festival. A soulful, acoustic "swamp operetta," the show is a bluesy journey through the life of musician Laurence Douglas Miner and his band from their Depression-era beginnings into the free-spirited 60s. The production utilizes a narrator format, as an elder Laurence tells tales that are inter-weaved with flashbacks and original songs.
With the exception of narrator Jack E. Curenton, the cast -- Anthony Cook, D. Miner, Dave Resnik, Louis Cox, Mary Stuart and Ray Herron -- make up the real-life band The Black Tongued Bells. The production is far from the more traditional musical with an overarching narrative, but more like a bluegrass romp through the decades with a few stories thrown in for good fun -- perhaps both a strength and weakness of the show.
Since music is really what this production is about, it's worth noting that the songs do in fact make every minute of this show worth it. From "Kingbee Jam" to "John the Revelator" to "Deadman's Grave," smokey vocals combine with a little harmonica, tambourine, and assorted guitars to lead the audience through an hour of foot-tappin' fun. "Rev." Louis Cox's incantations suggest gospel music alone might make it worth going back to church. Lead D. Miner and narrator Jack Curenton spoke with accents so thick you could practically smell the swamp on their breath. And for a set that has to be torn down and recreated at three different venues within a week, it brought the audience straight to the Louisiana sharecropper's cabin on which these tall tales are set.
This is not a show for fans of traditional flashy, larger-than-life musicals. (Although most musicals at the Fringe probably defy the category as well.) The "tall tales" bit seemed almost an afterthought, to allow the band to classify a concert as a musical. And writer D. Miner does admit that the songs came before the story in the creation of this "swamp opera." But nonetheless, fans of blues, bluegrass, gospel and Americana alike will have a delightful musical ride through the backwoods swamps of the Old South.
That Great and Dreadful Day: Tall Tales from the American Swamp
Remaining performances: Stella Adler Theatre, 6/21 and 6/24 @ 8:00pm.
Comedy Sportz- 6/26 @ 5:00 & 7:00pm, 6/27 at 11:00am, 3:00pm & 7:00pm
TICKET PRICES ARE WHATEVER YOU CAN/CARE TO GIVE!!
I saw it at the Adler. If schedule allows, I'm going to PAY to go see it again during Fringe *because it was that good*.
The band is tight. The weaving between past/present was virtually seamless. The story/stories is/are hilarity when needed, moving when that vibe is called for, and kinda scary when the story gets to the part where the characters can do nothing more than submit to a higher power and Plea. (Know that's vague, but I don't know how to describe the specifics quickly without spoilers.)
I *loved* their energy; felt like I was eavesdropping in on a family unit and not just watching a performance. I loved the multicultural cast. The beanpole and harmonica guys were a hoot. The slide guitarist (?) and the bass player - I can't decide which one I should Temporarily Marry. That woman's voice is from The God Of The Old Testament, channeled through 30s-era backwater juke joints and Billie. The preacher? THE PREACHER. OMG THE PREACHER.
The set at the Adler is *gorgeous*. I'm sure whatever look is on deck for the Fringe will be fine, but the Adler set was *perfect*. Chickens! Longjohns! Spanish moss! I could feel the sugar ants and bitsy spiders wandering around the set, even though, you know, I never actually *saw* an ant or spider on the set. But I loved those chickens.
Whether you hit it up at the Adler or at the Fringe, GO. If you don't go and hear raves from others down the road who did? Don't come whining to me after the fact because I Told You So.
(For the record, I don't know these people. I'd never heard of them before they showed up on the Fringe project list. But it sounded interesting at the very least, so I went. So glad I did!)
