Theatre Movement Bazaar presents the inaugural run of Tiny Little Town, a new musical comedy directed by CalArts School of Theater faculty Tina Kronis running Thursday, Feb. 1 through Sunday, Feb. 18 at the Broadwater Theater in Los Angeles.
Inspired by Ukrainian playwright Nikolai Gogol’s 19th century satire The Government Inspector, Tiny Little Town is set in 1970s America and depicts the unfolding chaos that erupts when the town’s corrupt bureaucrats mistakenly identify a tourist from Washington D.C., as a federal investigator.
A number of CalArtians can be found in the cast and creative team, including performers Ishika Muchhal (Theater BFA 22), Paula Rebelo (Theater BFA 13), and Theater faculty Nikhil Pai (Theater MFA 12), as well as costume designer and Theater faculty Ellen McCartney.
More about the musical from director Kronis:
“What drew me to this play was reading Gogol’s unfinished novel, Dead Souls and his Nevsky Prospect short stories. I became a huge fan of his nightmarish, yet hilarious upside-down world. What sold me on this play for adaptation was Gogol’s epigraph for the Inspector General: ‘If your face is crooked, don’t blame the mirror.’
Artistic Director and co-founder of Theatre Movement Bazaar, Kronis is dedicated to creating original performance works with an emphasis on physical action, combining elements of dance, text, cinema, and media. Her work has been showcased at Radar LA Festival, Beijing Comedy Festival, Shanghai International Contemporary Theatre Festival, and The Chekhov International Festival (marking the first US production in over 25 years).
The Feb. 11 performance offers a pay-what-you-can admission, while the Feb. 17 matinee includes a post-show discussion.
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This sounds like an exciting production! It’s fascinating to see how “Tiny Little Town” draws inspiration from Gogol’s classic satire and transports it into the context of 1970s America, blending humor with a critique of corruption. The involvement of CalArts faculty and alumni in the cast and creative team speaks volumes about the talent nurtured at the institution. Tina Kronis’ approach to integrating physical action and diverse artistic elements must add a unique dimension to the performance. How does the show balance the comedic elements with the underlying social commentary? Kudos to the entire team for bringing such a vibrant piece to the stage!