A staged reading of “I Put a Spell on You” by Rosie Narasaki for Golden Tongues, based on Ana Caro’s “El Conde Partinuplés,” will take place on Friday, Sept. 13, at 7 p.m. at UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. in Westwood.
Rosaura, Queen of Constantinople, needs to marry in order to keep her throne. Can magic conjure the perfect suitor?
Although she faces a rebellion over her unmarried status, Queen Rosaura refuses to settle for a mediocre prince who might undermine her power. Instead, she enlists the help of her cousin-advisor-resident witch Aldora to conjure the perfect match for her: Partinuplés. There’s just one problem: he’s already betrothed.
Rosaura and Aldora devise a series of trials to determine if Partinuplés is truly the best candidate for Rosaura, and whether he really loves her. However, they soon realize that their methods may not be entirely ethical, especially when a war breaks out in Partinuplés’ France.
Narasaki crafts a whimsical realm where rom-com meets a Renaissance fantasy. In this enchanting world, trickery and magic can help women obtain what they want, but they also must confront the moral repercussions of their choices once the spells wear off.
Golden Tongues is a collaboration between Diversifying the Classics and Playwrights’ Arena. Since 2013, the Golden Tongues initiative has commissioned and staged new adaptations in English of Hispanic classical plays by Los Angeles playwrights.
Narasaki is a second-generation actor and playwright. Her play “Unrivaled” just had its world premiere production with Playwrights’ Arena and the Boston Court Pasadena, prior to which it was workshopped with EST/LA, Artists at Play, the Road Theatre Company, and won the 2022 LA New Play Project Award.
Her play “When Yuri Meet Malcolm” toured local schools with East West Players last year, and she is also currently working on a commission for Center Theatre Group’s Library Play Readings series.
She is an alum of EST/LA’s New West Playwrights, the IAMA Under 30 Theatre Lab, the Boston Court Pasadena Playwrights, and Scripps College. She also wrote for a Netflix show once.
The fourth edition of Diversifying the Classics’ biennial festival, brings fresh takes on classics from the Spanish Golden Age to UCLA’s newly renovated Nimoy Theater.
La Escena is Los Angeles’ first Hispanic classical theater festival. Since the inaugural edition in 2018, La Escena has brought the best of Southern California theater together with acclaimed performers from around the world to celebrate the classics in performance and adaptation.
This year La Escena offers performances at the Nimoy Theater by the internationally recognized Spanish theater company Grumelot, three new English adaptations from the popular Golden Tongue series, and a new production of Sor Juana’s “Love Is the Greater Labyrinth” by director Sarah Grunnah.
In-person performances at the Nimoy Theater will take place through Sunday, Sept. 15, all free to the public with reservations on Brown Paper Tickets.
Parking information, full show descriptions and more information at:
http://diversifyingtheclassics.humanities.ucla.edu/comedia-in-performance/la-escena-2024
Friday, Sept. 13
7 p.m.: “I Put a Spell on You” (in English)
9 p.m.: “Amar por ver Amar” (in Spanish and English)
Saturday, Sept. 14
4 p.m.: “Love Is the Greater Labyrinth” (in English)
7 p.m.: “Dialogo Entre el Amor y un Viejo” (in Spanish with English translation)
9 p.m.: “La Tinta de Mi Honra” (in Spanish with English translation)
Sunday, Sept. 15
1 p.m.: “Flickers” (in English)
3 p.m.: “Fling” (in English)
5 p.m.: “The Marvelous Puppet Show” (in English)
Red Bull Theater’s virtual reading of “The Beast of Hungary” will premiere online Tuesday, Sept. 17, at 4:30 p.m. Pacific and be available streaming for a limited time.
Important parking information for The Nimoy: The entrance to the parking lot is on Glendon Avenue, directly to the left (north) of the Los Angeles Public Library, Westwood Branch. The actual address for GPS is 10866 Wilshire Blvd. As you exit the parking structure, it is just a short walk to the venue along Wilshire or Wellworth Avenue.
Enter through either of the two entrances marked “Visitor.” Upon arrival, take a ticket from the automated booth, enter and park anywhere in the structure that is not marked “Reserved.”
Patrons can pay their ticket at the pay station as they are exiting the lot or pay at the exit gate. However, you are encouraged to pay as exiting the structure to save time after the performance.
Note: The surface lot immediately behind The Nimoy is not open on evenings and weekends and is not operated by CAP UCLA. Cars may be towed or ticketed outside of the lot designated for The Nimoy.
$3 parking will be available: Sept. 13, 5:30-11:30 p.m.; Sept. 14, 2:30-11:30 p.m.; Sept. 15, 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. Venue information available here: https://cap.ucla.edu/ucla-nimoy-theater