Sometimes even the best plays don’t make it to Los Angeles. An example is J.T. Rodgers’ Oslo. The play, which opened at the Vivian Beaumont at Lincoln Center in 2017, was nominated for seven Tony Awards. It won two, including the most important award, Best Play. That acclaim, however, did not translate into a tour or even a local production. LA Theatre Works comes to the rescue with this weekend’s radio play performances of Oslo starting Friday, April 12th at the James Bridges Theatre at UCLA. Performances continue through Sunday the 14th.
The play, as timely today with recent elections and upheaval in the Middle East, depicts the backroom deals, personal relationships and odd partners that lead to the Oslo Peace Accord between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Rather than focus on politics, Rodgers focuses on the people involved and their relationships with one another.
Directing these performances is Brian Kite. The cast is Anthony Azizi (who appeared in the Lincoln Center production), Josh Bitton, Edita Brychta, JD Cullum, Matthew Floyd Miller, Darren Richardson, André Sogliuzzo, Devon Sorvani, Michel Wakim and Kevin Weisman.
These performances are recorded and then distributed worldwide. Local audiences can hear these recordings on KPFK. The finished records can also be downloaded on iTunes.
Given that we never had a chance to see the play here, this is your best chance to see what made Oslo so special.
For tickets go here.
