Have you ever looked at a work of art and thought, “Hmm, that would make a great musical”?
That’s kind of what Cindy Bradley, the artistic director of the San Pedro City Ballet, thought when she first saw the 1960s mod world of Southern California artist Josh “Shag” Agle.
“I thought I would do one piece and maybe get some original music to go with it and have Shag do a backdrop or the costumes or something,” Bradley said. “But after he said yes, all of these ideas started coming to me about how it could be a story; it could be a musical; it could be an entire show with lots of characters.”
Her creation, “Shag with a Twist” is a Broadway-style musical inspired by Shag’s artwork. It will be performed on Saturday, Oct. 3, at the Grand Annex Music Hall in San Pedro.
A scene from “Shag With a Twist,” a Broadway-style musical, inspired by the artwork of Shag. (Photo courtesy of Jeanine Hill)
An example of Shag’s art, “Vinegar Girl,” Shag, 2002. (Photo courtesy of Shag)
A scene from “Shag With a Twist,” a Broadway-style musical, inspired by the artwork of Shag. (Photo courtesy of Jeanine Hill)
A scene from “Shag With a Twist,” a Broadway-style musical, inspired by the artwork of Shag. (Photo courtesy of Jeanine Hill)
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A scene from “Shag With a Twist,” a Broadway-style musical, inspired by the artwork of Shag. (Photo courtesy of Jeanine Hill)
The show is a campy and immersive murder mystery set at a 1960s Tupperware party, complete with cocktails, dancing, outrageous costumes — and a monkey in a fez.
“My biggest goal was for Shag to come to the show and think that I had done it, that I had brought (his work) to life,” said Bradley, adding that she still feels “star-struck” when she sees Shag in person. “Well, he immediately told me that it was a success in that way.”
For those unfamiliar with Shag (as I was before putting together this column), apparently: “He’s super famous.”
At least, that’s what Bradley assured me during our Zoom call last week.
“I’m a super-fan,” she said. “But he has many, many fans. And loyal, too.”
A Southern California artist since the 1980s, Shag has a popular gallery in Palm Springs and throngs of dedicated, tiki-loving fans across the state who have helped turn recent performances of “Shag with a Twist” into sellouts.
His art is a throwback to 1960s martini-sipping party culture: all beehive hairdos, swoop bangs and orange-checkered suit jackets. It’s “Jetsons” chic meets retro spy cartoons.
Fun fact: In 2004, Shag was hired by MGM to create the iconic mid-century modern art for the 40th anniversary of “Pink Panther.”
With all that flamboyance, style and fabulousness, Bradley decided that Shag’s painted world was a perfect fit for the stage.
But it’s not all about the aesthetic. Look closely at Shag’s art and you’ll see a story: Stylish party guests have mysterious smirks on their faces. Mustached men peek slyly from behind corners. Women walk with leopards on leashes.
It’s anyone’s guess what’s going on. But the colorful, stylized scenes feel every bit as Palm Springs as the towering skinny palms lining its avenues.
“If you look at any of Shag’s paintings, there’s always a story,” Bradley said. “Different people interpret it in different ways. But you can see something there, and it’s fun and quirky and sexy and really makes you feel good.
“And that’s what I wanted to do with the show.”
It was more than 20 years ago when Bradley first tracked down the artist and pitched the idea to bring his art to life.
“It was all Cindy’s doing, actually,” Shag said. “She came up with this concept, and she stalked me for a little bit until I said, ‘Yes, I’ll meet with you.’”
He wasn’t immediately on board, however.
“She gave me this proposal, which seemed just huge and overblown, you know?” Shag said. “Just the number of people in the cast and the amount of money it was going to take to build these costumes and sets.
“I thought, this is never going to happen,” he added. “And then she called me up a little later and said, ‘OK, I got my funding.’”
The pair worked together. Bradley wrote the story and lyrics while Shag designed the sets, props and costumes. Composers César Benitez and Chris Lang created the music.
“Shag with a Twist” premiered at the Los Angeles Theatre Center in 2005, winning an Ovation Award for costume design and earning eight Lester Horton Award nominations before going on to an extended run in Las Vegas.
Critics described it as a “wonderfully loopy world,” praising its “wildly witty costumes and hair” and “energetic choreography.” The website TheaterMania later wrote that the Las Vegas production “serves up camp, cocktails, groovy music and stunningly colorful visuals.”
Since then, the show has remained Bradley’s passion project, alongside her work as artistic director of the San Pedro City Ballet, where she is best known for discovering the legendary Misty Copeland at age 13 through the company’s outreach program. (Copeland went on to become the first Black woman to serve as a principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre.)
In 2024, “Shag with a Twist” was revived in Palm Springs as part of the city’s annual Modernism Week. It also played in Torrance at the James Armstrong Theater.
“It’s become its own thing. It’s like an entity beyond me,” said Shag, who got his alias by combining the last two letters of his first name with the first two letters of his last name. “It’s like, I was there when it was birthed as a baby, and now it’s a grown-up. Or maybe it’s a 7-year-old, and can walk on its own and tie its own shoes.”
I haven’t seen the show yet, but it certainly looks fun.
Promotional materials call it “’Rocky Horror’ meets ‘The Jetsons,’” no doubt referring to the odd blend of retro hair swoops and A-line mini skirts mixed with campy audience participation.
The story follows guests at a Tupperware party gone horribly (and hilariously) wrong. The party, however, quickly takes a turn when someone ends up dead. A bumbling police officer and his monkey sidekick set out to solve the crime.
The story, Bradley has said, was inspired by her parents’ cocktail parties in the ’60s.
Those parties, of course, had no murders. And there were no wacky guests, hat-wearing monkeys or conjoined twins attached at the tops of their beehives. But you get the point.
The show is an immersive affair. Audience members are encouraged to dress the part, so slide on the go-go boots, tease the hair high and rock your best tiki chic.
The 150-seat Grand Annex has a cabaret-style setup, with tables up front and general seating behind them, so guests can sip their drinks while watching the story unfold.
And if you’re still not quite sure what to expect, Shag himself offered his own description:
“Well, I’m just going to coin a word right now and say ‘shag-tastic.’”
‘Shag with a Twist’
When: 7:15 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3.
Where: The Grand Annex Music Hall, 434 W. Sixth St., San Pedro.
Cost: $55 and up (available at EventBrite).
Information: shag.com.