WORLD PREMIERE OF “I WANNA BE EVIL: THE EARTHA KITT STORY”
"I Wanna Be Evil: The Eartha Kitt Story"
June 16, Los Angeles CA – Studio C Artist and Combined Artform present “I Wanna Be Evil: The Eartha Kitt Story”, written and performed by Jenelle Lynn Randall (as Eartha Kitt) and directed by Yvans Jourdain, featuring Darrell Phillip and Music Director Ron Barnett. Opening June 16, it also plays on June 22 and June 27th as part of the 2019 Hollywood Fringe Festival at Theatre Asylum’s Studio C located at 6448 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles CA 90038.
Eartha Kitt (born as Eartha Mae Keith), January 17, 1927, grew up on a cotton plantation in North, South Carolina. Abandoned by her mother for being a “high yella gal”, Kitt moved to NYC where she met the Nicholas Brothers, James Dean, Marlon Brando, and Sammy Davis Jr. (to name a few) and began her career as a member of the Katherine Dunham Dance Company. Kitt, a Singer, Actress, Dancer, and Activist, is most commonly known for her 1952 smash hits “Santa Baby”. “C’est Si Bon, Uska Dara and Monotonous”. Kitt is also most famously known for her star role as Catwoman in the 1967 popular comic book series, Batman. But by 1968, Kitt was blacklisted after she made “anti-war statements” directed at First lady, LadyBird Johnson, during a White House luncheon. Branded “a sadistic nymphomaniac” by the FBI and CIA, a false and defamatory dossier about Kitt was discovered by NY Times Journalist, Seymour Hersh in 1975. In 1978, 10 years after the “White House Incident”, Kitt made her triumphant return to the American stage in the Broadway musical Timbuktu (directed and choreographed by acclaimed artist, Geoffrey Holder), for which she received the first of her 2 Tony Award nominations. Kitt died, Christmas day 2008, surrounded by her beloved daughter …KITT.
“I Wanna Be Evil” chronicles Eartha’s destitute childhood, her affair with the Revlon heir and her volatile relationship with Hollywood.
BACKGROUND
“I Wanna Be Evil: The Eartha Kitt Story”
Presented by Studio C Artists and Combined Artform
Written by: Jenelle Lynn Randall
Directed by: Yvans Jourdain
Also starring: Darrell Phillip
Musical Director: Ron Barnett
Executive Produced by: Jenelle Lynn Randall
Co Produced by: Olan de la Paz
WHERE: Studio C – 6448 Santa Monica Blvd. LA CA 90038
WHEN:
• June 16 @ 4pm
• June 22 @ 8:30pm
• June 27 @ 7pm
Running time: 60 min
TICKETS – $20.00 – https://hff19.org/5829
ABOUT THE WRITER/EP Jenelle Lynn Randall
Jenelle is a true multi hyphenate. Writer-Producer-Actress-Singer-Dancer. In 2017, Jenelle Executive Produced August Wilson’s Century Cycle. 10 plays in 10 months for FREE for the community. Sponsored in part by Rogue Machine. Jenelle has also performed on the Broadway stage with credit’s including: “All Shook Up” and the 1st Nat’l tour of “Brooklyn the Musical”. Jenelle’s Off Broadway credits include: “The Joys of Sex”, “They Wrote That?” and “Shout” and the pre-Broadway production of “Pretty Woman” (Dir: Garry Marshall). Most recently, Jenelle performed at the Mark Taper Forum in Los Angeles in “The Christians” & “Disgraced”. Jenelle’s regional theater credits include: “Hattie” in Kiss Me Kate, at the Pasadena Playhouse, “Minnie McKnight” in 3D Theatrical’s “Parade”, “Lorrell” in “Dreamgirls” at the MUNY (with Jennifer Holiday), “TiMouune” and “Andrea” in “Once On This Island” at the Barksdale Theatre in Richmond VA, “Brenda” in “Smokey Joe’s Café”, “Addaperle” in “The Wiz”, “Felicia” u/s in “Memphis” at North Shore Music Theater, “Charlaine” in “Ain’t Misbehavin” at San Diego Music Theatre, “Velma” in “Crowns” at the Alabama Shakespeare Festival, “Aretha/Patti” in “Beehive”at Theatre IV in Richmond VA, “Etta James” in “A Night With Janis Joplin” at the Pasadena Playhouse and “Miss Gardner” in “Carrie” the Musical. Jenelle’s TV credits include “Young & the Restless”, “Love That Girl”, “Boardwalk Empire”, “All My Children”, “Guiding Light”, and “Law & Order SVU”. Jenelle’s 1 Woman Show; “You’re Gonna Hear From Me, A Tribute to Nancy Wilson” has been performed in the US and internationally. Jenelle recurs as the voice of “Ms. Lofton” on Cartoon Network’s “Clarence”, and can be heard on WB’s The New Tom & Jerry Show as “Myrtle”. Jenelle graduated with a BA in Musical Theatre from George Mason University.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR Yvans Jourdain
Yvans was last seen as Henry Williams in the Canadian Stage 2017 Production of “Hellen Lawrence” at UCLA’s Royce Hall. He was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and moved to Asbury Park, NJ when he was five years old. Yvans went on to get his BA at Rutgers University and his MFA at Arizona State University, where he also studied directing under the wing of famed director Marshal Mason. Yvans is an extremely versatile actor who has appeared in film, television, commercials and theater. Yvans recurred on “Parks and Recreation” as Councilman Howser, he has also appeared on “Criminal Minds Beyond Borders”, “Ghost Whisperer”, “Greys Anatomy”, “My Name Is Earl”, “Monk”, “The Riches”, “Will & Grace”, “Judging Amy”, “Alias”, “The Shield” and “The West Wing”. Theatre credits include and not limited to, “Flags”, “Box”, “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, “Cymbeline”, “Comedy Of Errors”, “Macbeth”, “To Kill A Mockingbird”, “A Few Good Men”, and “Twelve Angry Men”. Thank you to my guardian angels Adeline and Augustin Jourdain.
ABOUT THE ACTORS Darrell Phillip
Darrell was born and raised in Texas and studied in Hollywood at The Actors Center International, The Groundlings, with Ivana Chubbuck, and Ben Guillory. On stage he has been seen as Cyrano in Cyrano de Bergerac, Neil Simon’s California Suite, Noel Coward’s Blithe Spirit, Gross Indecency: The Three Trials of Oscar Wilde, as well as Bronzeville, No Place To Be Somebody, and Pity the Proud Ones with the Robey Theatre Company. He will appear in the upcoming mini-series Washington’s Armor and the films Rico San Marco, You’re Hired!, and Melchizedek’s Men.
ABOUT THE MUSIC DIRECTOR Ron Barnett
Ron is a composer living in Los Angeles, CA where he is Director of Music and Sacred Arts at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church, Glendale. Full length musicals, as composer: Manson’s Girls with book by Scott Guy, lyrics by Mitch Glaser, which won a “Pick of the Fringe” award and the ALNM Award for Outstanding Songwriting during the Hollywood Fringe Festival 2018, When Butter Churns to Gold, which premiered in 2015 at Northern Sky Theatre in Door County, WI and A Christmas Carol with book by Barry Kornhauser, published in 2013 by Dramatic Publishing Company. Choral music published by MorningStar and GIA. He is currently a member of New Musicals Inc. in North Hollywood, and was, with lyricist Greg Edwards, a finalist for the 2010 and 2012 Fred Ebb Prize.
ABOUT THE PRODUCERS Olan de la Paz
Orlando began his career in the Arts as a Character and Layout Artist for Disney Consumer Products and Disney Publishing after graduating from Otis College of Arts and Design. During this period, he volunteered his time designing and painting sets for Children’s Theater. His first professional Theater production was Hollywood, Hollywood for Write Act Repertoire Theater in Hollywood in which Orlando acted, as well as designed, and painted the sets. Then, under Bright Eyes Productions, Orlando became involved as a Scenic Artist for several productions including, Not About Heroes, The Unexpected Man, Last Five Years, The Busy World is Hushed, The Year of Magical Thinking, and finally Nickled and Dimed at the Hudson Theater in which Orlando was both scenic Artist, and Prop Designer. It was during the run of Nickled and Dimed that Trent Steelman, who at the time was the Executive Director of the Colony Theater, discovered Orlando’s work. He was hired on the spot to head up the Paint Department at the Colony Theater Theater in Burbank. From there Orlando’s career in Theater truly blossomed. Theaters such as the Falcon( Gary Marshall), Theater at Boston Court, Sierra Madre Playhouse, Center theater Group, McCoy Rigby Productions, The Actor’s Co-Op Theater Group, 3D Theatricals, A Noise Within, The Odyssey Theater, Echo Theater Company, and Celebration took notice and Orlando became the resident artist for most of these Theaters. Orlando has been the Scenic Charge at The Kirk Douglas Theater for The Block Party since 2015. Orlando has also worked on several TV productions such Let’s Make A Deal and The Price is Right, as well as Production Designer for Films such as The Golden Boy by Stone Soup Productions, and Buttons by Tim Janis Productions starring Dick Van Dyke and Angela Lansbury. Orlando has also been the recipient of Stage Scene L.A.’s Scenie Awards for Best Scenic Artist consecutively since 2014. After taking courses at the New Musical Institute, Orlando has caught the writing bug and is in the process of writing several plays. The Producing Bug has also caught Orlando when he produced The Little House On the Prairie Christmas Celebration at the Colony Theater featuring many of the actors from the original Television production. Now Orlando is the Co-Producer for The Hollywood Fringe Production of “I Wanna Be Evil: The Eartha Kitt Story” by Jenelle Lynn Randall who is the playwright, star and Executive Producer. Orlando and Jenelle worked with each other during the production of Carrie: The Killer Musical for both La Mirada Theater for Performing Arts and The Los Angeles Theater in Downtown L.A. Orlando is still currently in production for the Secret Garden and Shrek the Musical at 3D Theatricals, Dames at Sea for Sierra Madre Playhouse, The Producers at Celebration Theater and Harvey for The Laguna Playhouse.
