![]() Escorted into motel room, a very immersive theatre scene happens. ![]() What happens next reminds me, of all things, of the late, great Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disneyland (the first person who mentions it still being at Disney World gets strapped to a Saturn V). There’s more than a few things one probably shouldn’t Google during one’s trip through Elsewhere, as suspension of disbelief is a currency of the realm. In the waiting room I’m told that the couch was originally owned by Neil Armstrong, and then am quickly told not to Google that. Unlike a selfie palace, or even Meow Wolf’s original House of Eternal Return attraction, the theming stays front and center in the “check-in” experience. Just where and when you are is there from jump. Themeing starts from the outside, with the Motel sign and colors evoking a midcentury modern aesthetic that carries into the lobby. In the geography of the Arts District there are few better places to be, with a stream of street traffic to drive curiosity and a supply of offices workers, loft dwellers, and students to appeal to. The Motel is situated on a prime piece of real estate in the Arts District at 4th & S Hewitt, just a block away from Urth Caffé, and a few blocks away from the cluster of shops and restaurants on Traction that include Salt & Straw and Wurstküche. Madcap Motel asks the question: what if we put a bit more story and some characters into the freeform adult playground that is the pop-up? Instead of the culminating sprinkle pool/marshmellow tub/ball pit of the InstaFactories there are actors and scenes that bookend entry and exit from the alternate reality of Elsewhere.īut that’s getting ahead of ourselves. Opening up just as California is shaking of the cobwebs. Yet somehow, through luck and pluck and an unwillingness to give up, the Madcap Motel is here with us. ![]() Then the pandemic came, and everything went into stasis.Īt some points during the hellscape of 2020 it looked as if the Motel was going to be a “we almost had a…” story. The space, created by Paige Solomon and an intrepid crew of artists and performers, was envisioned as a step forward from the kinds of Instagram Palaces that dot the landscape with their endless lines of selfie snappers, albeit on a slightly different path than the gargantuan Meow Wolf installations that are taking up residence in Las Vegas and Denver. Thirteen months ago Elsewhere at the Madcap Motel was set to open in the Arts District in Downtown Los Angeles. He employs Hoke Coleburn, much to her chagrin.Photo Credit: Noah Nelson The Arts District gets a new attraction When Daisy Wertham, a stubborn, elderly Southern widow, crashes her new car into the neighbor’s garage, her son, Boolie, forces her to take on a chauffeur. It’s also a challenge for local actors (or any actors) to step into the shoes of iconic past performances, but the excellent Shelley Walljasper (as Daisy) and Joseph Obleton (as her driver Hoke) make you forget all about Tandy and Freeman, somehow making it look easy.ĭirected with the utmost care and class (with a spot-on string soundtrack) by Jeremy Littlejohn, the Pulitzer Prize-winning play is set in Atlanta and spans 25 years, from 1948 to 1973. At the 62nd Academy Awards, “Driving Miss Daisy” earned nine nominations, and won four: Best Picture, Best Actress (for Tandy), Best Makeup, and Best Adapted Screenplay. ![]() The 1989 film - directed by Bruce Beresford, with a screenplay by Alfred Uhry, based on his 1987 play - starred Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman. Daisy (Shelley Walljasper) and Hoke (Joe Obleton) face off in “Driving Miss Daisy,” running through Feb. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |