Martin McDonagh has built a career out of putting very serious subjects in very funny plays.<\/p>\n
His trademark combination of violence, grief, cruelty and absurdity comes to the Long Beach Playhouse with \u201cHangmen,\u201d McDonagh\u2019s 2015 play about capital punishment, professional pride and a strange night at a British pub.<\/p>\n
The production, directed by Carl DaSilva, runs from Saturday, Aug. 29, to Sept. 26 in the Playhouse\u2019s Studio Theater, 5021 E. Anaheim St.<\/p>\n
McDonagh is perhaps best known to a broader audience through his films, including \u201cIn Bruges\u201d and \u201cThree Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri,\u201d but his roots are in theater.<\/p>\n
His breakthrough came in the 1990s with a series of sharp, unusual plays set in and around the west of Ireland, including \u201cThe Beauty Queen of Leenane,\u201d \u201cThe Lonesome West\u201d and \u201cThe Lieutenant of Inishmore.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then, his stunning 2003 play \u201cThe Pillowman\u201d won the New York Drama Critics\u2019 Circle Award for Best Foreign Play, and \u201cHangmen\u201d itself was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play.<\/p>\n
So \u201cHangmen\u201d arrives at Long Beach Playhouse with a pretty recognizable McDonagh pedigree behind it \u2014 and a premise that fits comfortably within his particular theatrical universe.<\/p>\n
The play is set in 1965, immediately after Britain abolishes hanging. Harry, a former executioner and something of a local celebrity, runs a pub in Oldham. He has spent years being known as England\u2019s second-best hangman, but the end of capital punishment leaves him with an unusual combination of professional irrelevance and a lingering desire for recognition.<\/p>\n
When a stranger named Mooney arrives, what initially looks like a darkly comic portrait of an obsolete profession gradually develops into a very tense drama.<\/p>\n
That tonal balancing act is part of what distinguishes McDonagh\u2019s work from other playwrights.<\/p>\n
The Long Beach Playhouse production stars Noah Wagner as Harry, Trevor Hart as Mooney and Amanda Karr as Alice, Harry\u2019s wife.<\/p>\n
The cast also includes Dina Hagler, Karl Schott, Floyd Harden, Ari Hagler, James Rice, Allen Sewell, Kolby King and James Matthis.<\/p>\n
The production is part of the Playhouse\u2019s 2026 Studio season, with the smaller theater providing a more intimate setting for McDonagh\u2019s claustrophobic combination of comedy and suspense.<\/p>\n
A preview performance will take place at 8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 28, followed by opening night and a champagne gala at 8 p.m. Saturday.<\/p>\n
Regular performances will continue at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays.<\/p>\n
For more information, go to lbplayhouse.org\/event\/hangmen<\/a>.<\/p>\n Honoring Rod Briggs<\/p>\n What happens when vastly different artists are tasked with interpreting one Long Beach legend?<\/p>\n At the Rod Briggs Gallery this fall, the answer will come in 40 different works of art.<\/p>\n \u201cReinterpreting Rod: Artists Create New Works Inspired by Rod Briggs\u2019s Paintings,\u201d presented by the Long Beach Creative Group, brings together 20 Long Beach-area artists for an exhibition built around the work of the late Long Beach artist Rod Briggs (1927-2017).<\/p>\n The show opened Aug. 15 and will run to Sept. 19 at the Rod Briggs Gallery, 2221 E. Broadway.<\/p>\n The concept is straightforward but potentially full of surprises: 10 original Briggs paintings will be displayed alongside two contemporary reinterpretations of each.<\/p>\n The exhibition was conceived and curated by artist Cory Bilicko, who assembled a group that includes established professionals and emerging artists.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve intentionally assembled a diverse group of artists representing a wide range of ages, backgrounds and levels of experience,\u201d Bilicko said in a press release. \u201cIt includes established professional artists alongside emerging creators, two of whom are exhibiting publicly for the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n Each participating artist will bring their own experiences, aesthetics and questions to the source material.<\/p>\n \u201cGiving contemporary artists a chance to put their spin on existing works will create a conversation that hopefully will extend beyond the opening night,\u201d participating artist Jeff McMillan said. \u201cI always liked the idea that a reaction, good or bad, is better than no reaction at all. At least there\u2019s dialogue.\u201d<\/p>\n This dialogue can transform seemingly ordinary subject matter. For instance, artist David Early drew inspiration from one of Briggs\u2019 paintings depicting garments hanging from a clothesline. His reinterpretation considers the stories and relationships that might exist beneath an everyday scene.<\/p>\n Indeed, the exhibition offers a chance to witness the craft of Long Beach\u2019s contemporary art community as a whole.<\/p>\n Participating artists include Tracy Allen, Tony Barrera, Cory Bilicko, Aria Bradfield, James Brooks, Kadie DiCarlo, David Early, Susan Hawkins, Nate Jones, Anna Katrina, Calvin Konen, Jeff McMillan, Jacqueline Nguyen, Vince Ruez-Abdo, Jamie Russom, Julio Salgado, Morgan Stahlkuppe, Emily Tanaka, Bernard Vyzga and Ivan Zuno.<\/p>\n The gallery will also host a free screening of the documentary \u201cA Bigger Picture\u201d at 7:30 p.m. Friday.<\/p>\n The film follows celebrated artist David Hockney as he leaves California and returns to his home in Northern England.<\/p>\n Considered together, the exhibition and the free screening make for a fitting showcase for the Rod Briggs Gallery itself, which has provided exhibition opportunities for Long Beach-area artists since 2018.<\/p>\n And for Briggs\u2019 family, the exhibition offers a way of keeping Rod\u2019s artistic legacy alive.<\/p>\n