Tales From Hollywood October 19, 2012

Where did German writers and other artists go when they escaped the rise of the Third Reich? To Hollywood, of course. Christopher Hampton mines the oddness of German intellectuals in Tinseltown for both humor and humanity. Featuring theater pioneer Bertolt Brecht and novelists Thomas and Heinrich Mann, 'Tales from Hollywood' is narrated by Odon von Horvath, a real-life Eastern European playwright. Horvath (who in reality died before the events of the play when he was hit on the head by a tree branch in Paris) is our guide through the story - of writers who barely speak English being asked to write a sequel to 'Bedtime for Bonzo,' of emigres struggling with their new home and all that infernal California sunshine, and of exiles trying to forget old demons and reconcile choices they've made in the past. Featuring a large ensemble cast and cameos by Tarzan, Greta Garbo and the Marx Brothers, 'Tales from Hollywood' is Hampton's favorite play and often considered his best.