[NoHo Arts District, CA] – This fall, the Getty Villa Museum and the Troubadour Theater Company present Oedipus the King, Mama! for the 19th annual Villa Outdoor Classical Theater production, running September 4–27.
In this production of the classic story of Oedipus, L.A.’s beloved Troubadour Theater Company gets Sophocles’ King Oedipus “All Shook Up” with the musical stylings of the King of Rock & Roll, Elvis Presley!
In Oedipus the King, Mama!, plot twists and pelvic thrusts are plentiful, and a live band accompanies the salacious story. Fighting to find out the ugly truth, Oedipus gives in to “Suspicious Minds” and digs deep into his past…only to find a forbidden future – and the meaning of blind ambition.
“This marks the Troubadour Theater Company’s third production in the Villa’s Outdoor Classical Theater, and we are delighted to welcome them back,” says Timothy Potts, Maria Hummer-Tuttle and Robert Tuttle Director of the Getty Museum. “It is special to have such a long-time collaborator and company from Los Angeles bring their talents to the Palisades community for what will undoubtedly be an entertaining show.”
Celebrating 30 years of entertaining audiences in Los Angeles and 16 years of collaborating with the Getty, the Troubadour Theater Company reintroduces this production, which was previously part of the Villa’s 2009 Theater Lab series, to the Outdoor Theater stage. It is adapted and directed by Matt Walker, artistic director of the Troubadour Theater Company.
“The Troubies” have co-produced two other outdoor productions at the Getty Villa, including LIZASTRATA in 2021, a retelling of Aristophanes’s Lysistrata set to Liza Minnelli’s greatest hits, as well as Haunted House Party in 2016, a Roman comedy based on Plautus’s Mostellaria. They have also workshopped several productions in the Villa Theater Lab series in addition to Oedipus The King, Mama!, including Abbamemnon in 2014 and For the Birds in 2011.
The Oedipus the King, Mama! cast includes Matt Walker as Oedipus, Cloie Taylor as Shepherd, Beth Kennedy as Jocasta, Rick Batalla as Creon, Mike Sulprizio as Teiresias, Steven Booth as Young Oedipus, Suzanne Jolie Narbonne as Ismene/Chorus, Lara Lafferty as Antigone/Chorus, Philip McNiven as Messenger, and Katie Malia as Sphinx attendant.
“We’re so thankful for our long-time artistic collaboration with the Getty. They truly support artists and always bring out the best in us,” says Matt Walker, artistic director of the Troubadour Theater Company. “Oedipus the King, Mama! has a gifted cast of 10 actors who sing, dance, clown, and improvise their way through an 80-minute-romp – as well as a live band, and brilliant designers who are transforming the Villa into Graceland West!”
Oedipus the King, Mama! Team
The play will feature choreography by Matt Walker, music direction by Benet Braun, costume design by Sharon McGunigle, hair, makeup, and wig design by Suzanne Narbonne, lighting design by Bo Tindell, set design by Evan Bartoletti, prop design by Matt Scott, sound design by Robert Ramirez, music supervision by Eric Heinly, and Molly Alvarez Booth as movement consultant. Producers include Mike Sulprizio, Beth Kennedy, and Matt Walker.
Oedipus the King, Mama! is not recommended for persons under the age of 12.
About Troubadour Theater:
Troubadour Theater Company is a freewheeling, no-holds-barred, commedia dell’arte-flavored, slapstick-driven, Los Angeles-based ensemble of actors, musicians and comedians that has been performing for delighted audiences of all ages since 1995. The Troubies, as they are affectionately called, provide fast-and-loose adaptations of classic plays, literature, and films, as well as original theatrical productions and events.
Troubadour members have professional experience as writers, directors, and performers for film, television, theater, orchestra, opera, theme park, and circus. The company’s interactive and improvisational adaptations of the Bard’s classics include A Midsummer Saturday Night’s Fever Dream; Fleetwood Macbeth; and Hamlet, the Artist Formerly Known as Prince of Denmark. Holiday shows include: Christmas Carole King, Frosty the Snow Manilow, and It’s a Stevie Wonderful Life.
The Troubies have received numerous accolades, including the Ovation Award for Best Season (2x), L.A. Drama Critics Circle Awards for Sustained Excellence and Outstanding Achievement in Musical Theatre, and The O.C. Weekly Award for Lifetime Achievement.
About The Getty
Getty is a leading global arts organization committed to the exhibition, conservation, and understanding of the world’s artistic and cultural heritage. Based in Los Angeles, Getty’s Foundation, Conservation Institute, Museum, and Research Institute work collaboratively with partners around the world. Getty shares art, knowledge, and resources online at Getty.edu and welcomes the public for free at its Getty Center and the Getty Villa.
The J. Paul Getty Museum collects Greek and Roman antiquities, European paintings, drawings, manuscripts, sculpture and decorative arts to 1900, as well as photographs from around the world to the present day. The Museum’s mission is to display and interpret its collections, and present important loan exhibitions and publications for the enjoyment and education of visitors locally and internationally. This is supported by an active program of research, conservation, and public programs that seek to deepen our knowledge of and connection to works of art.
Visiting the Getty Villa
The Getty Villa is open Wednesday through Monday, 10am to 5pm. It is closed Tuesdays, Thanksgiving, December 25 (Christmas Day), and January 1. Admission to the Getty Villa is always free, but a reservation is required for admission. Make reservations online or at (310) 440-7300. Parking is $25, and $15 after 3pm. The Getty Villa is at 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Pacific Palisades, California.
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