Talhotblond is premiering at the Ruskin Group Theatre in Santa Monica

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Katherine Bates’ play Talhotblond, based on a true story, is currently playing at the Ruskin Group Theatre through April 26. Tickets are $25 ($20 for students, seniors, and guild members) and can be purchased in advance by calling (310) 397-3244 or purchase tickets online at http://ruskingrouptheatre.com Continue reading →

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Apr 09, 2014 /prREACH/ -- Barbara Schroeder, an Emmy award-winning journalist , produced a documentary which was picked up by Paramount studios for worldwide distribution and was entitled Talhotblond. She began her career at the ABC affiliate in Flint Michigan. Once in every journalist’s career there comes a story that towers above all others. This is it.

Talhotblond, the play, is the re-creation of the documentary by Emmy award-winning journalist Katherine Bates.  The story includes sex, obsession, internet lies and lust. Rose Desena of The Los Angeles Post writes, " Talhotblond is billed as a thriller, but the more I think about it I am convinced it’s a good old con job done with a 21st century twist. Thomas Montgomery (Mark Rimer) is a frumpy middle-aged worker with a desk job at a local factory. Working well with computers in 2005 puts him on top, because at that time some older people were having issues transitioning into the tech world. Like all good employees, he starts to waste time doing things he shouldn’t. Thomas gets a chance to step out of his ho hum life and have some fun with a “sexy thing” he befriends on-line. He starts to believe he is HOTOLDMAN and the situation gets out of hand."

Directed by Beverly Olevin, the play is a cautionary tale taking place in this age of technology. A man gets caught up in a web of liesand pays an enormous price for it.  A true crime documentary, Talhotblond, is available on Netflix, and there is also a Lifetime Movie version by the same name.  This compelling drama has had several iterations.

The Ruskin Group Theatre company, according to Pauline Adamek, writer for the L.A.Arts Beat, has a lot going for it, "...director Beverly Olevin stages the show extremely well... Erin Elizabeth Patrick (as Jenny, aka TalHotBlond) beautifully embodies the fantasy girl, with her alluring Southern drawl and tantalizing dialogue. Her sexy outfit of cobalt-blue halter necked top, ‘Daisy Duke’ cutoff denim shorts and tooled leather boots adds to her magnetic appeal (all costumes nicely designed by Sarah Figoten Wilson). Mark Rimer (as central figure Thomas) negotiates his emotional roller coaster role with aplomb. Playing Thomas’ confidently defiant daughter Gwen, Julia Arian gives an excellent and nuanced performance and her scenes are sharply observed by Bates."

Ed Krieger writing for Art s in L.A. says, " Jeff Faeth’s set, Mike Reilly’s lighting, and Marc Olevin’s sound do much to establish the complicated environments surrounding this Internet-age tragedy..."

TALHOTBLOND Opens March 7th, 2014

Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm Sundays at 2pm through April 26, 2014

Tickets are $25 ($20 for students, seniors, and guild members) Purchase in advance by calling (310) 397-3244 or purchase  tickets online at http://ruskingrouptheatre.com/component/content/article/5-now-playing/68-talhotblond

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John Ruskin

http://www.ruskingrouptheatre.com

Quotes
"The playwright, Kathrine Bates, has a good handle on the vulnerabilities of the male ego and to what lengths we are willing to go to have a second shot at being young and hot." - Rose Desena, The Los Angeles Post
- Bates says, “Chills went up my arm when I first heard this ‘ripped from the headlines’ story. Barbara Schroeder approached me about turning her documentary, into what could be a smashing theater piece. It was edgy, contemporary, and I became immediate passionate about creating the play.”
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