{"id":86679,"date":"2025-08-14T10:17:18","date_gmt":"2025-08-14T17:17:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/hi-lo\/?p=86679"},"modified":"2025-08-14T10:17:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-14T17:17:25","slug":"two-plays-on-family-dynamics-set-to-open-in-long-beach-one-a-classic-the-other-a-world-premiere","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/hi-lo\/art\/two-plays-on-family-dynamics-set-to-open-in-long-beach-one-a-classic-the-other-a-world-premiere","title":{"rendered":"Two plays on family dynamics set to open in Long Beach \u2014 one a classic, the other a world premiere"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Welcome to Theater News, a regular column by longtime reviewer Anita W. Harris. Look for it most Thursdays. Or <\/i>sign up<\/i><\/a> for our Eat See Do newsletter to get it in your inbox.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n

As summer starts winding down, local theater is picking up with two interesting plays set to open at the end of the month at Long Beach Shakespeare Company and International City Theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Long Beach Shakespeare Company<\/b> will stage Henrik Ibsen\u2019s classic play \u201cA Doll\u2019s House\u201d for three weekends beginning Friday, Aug. 29, directed by Michael Hovance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The play was considered groundbreaking when it first performed in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1879, shocking audiences with its examination of a marriage unraveling and a woman, Nora, deciding how to break free, especially under heavy societal expectations and with children involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Artistic Director Holly Leveque calls the play \u201ca riveting tale of love, lies and liberation\u201d and \u201cone of the most influential and talked about plays in modern theater history.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA Doll\u2019s House\u201d has inspired other plays over the years, including Lucas Hnath\u2019s 2017 \u201cA Doll\u2019s House, Part 2<\/a>\u201d that catches up with Nora 15 years later and which performed locally at International City Theatre three years ago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2019A Doll\u2019s House\u2019 isn\u2019t just a period drama,\u201d says Leveque. \u201cIt\u2019s a mirror that reflects our ongoing conversations about autonomy, truth and what it means to live authentically.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Long Beach Shakespeare Company\u2019s \u201cA Doll\u2019s House\u201d will perform on weekends at the Helen Borgers Theatre, 4250 Atlantic Ave., from Aug. 29 to Sept. 14  For tickets and information, call 562-997-1494 or visit <\/i>LBShakespeare.org<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Actress Timylle Adams will perform in International City Theatre’s upcoming play “Masala Dabba,” opening Aug. 29. Photo by FamousFotography.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Opening the same weekend, International City Theatre<\/b>\u2019s (ICT) world premiere of \u201cMasala Dabba\u201d focuses on a mother originally from India estranged from her American-born daughter \u2014 and a 14-year-old granddaughter she has never met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The title refers to the mother\u2019s Indian spice box, called a \u201cmasala dabba.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do we resolve deep resentments that often divide our families, the very people we should be able to count on for love and support?\u201d ICT asks. \u201cFood becomes a portal into the past as the three generations of women bond through stories inspired by the spices.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Resident playwright Wendy Graf \u2014 whose riveting \u201cExit Wounds<\/a>\u201d performed at ICT in 2023 following her \u201cClosely Related Keys<\/a>\u201d in 2021 \u2014 said she was inspired to write this play after traveling in India and because of her love of Indian food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy plays return again and again to themes of family, culture and identity as seen through the lens of race, religion, politics, war and today\u2019s schisms,\u201d Graf said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Actress Ansuya Nathan will perform in International City Theatre’s upcoming play “Masala Dabba,” opening Aug. 29. Photo courtesy International City Theatre.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

ICT brought in script development consultant Kaushal Pandya and cultural consultant Dr. Sukanya Chakrabarti to work with the creative team, which includes award-winning director Marya Mazor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2019Masala Dabba\u2019 centers on a mixed Indian and African American family,\u201d says Graf. \u201cBut I hope that all audiences will see themselves and their families in this story.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

International City Theatre\u2019s \u201cMasala Dabba\u201d will perform at the Beverly O\u2019Neill Theater, 330 East Seaside Way, on weekends from Aug. 29 to Sept. 14, with two lower-priced previews offered Wednesday, Aug. 27 and Thursday, Aug. 28. For tickets and information, call the box office at 562-436-4610<\/i> or visit <\/i>ICTLongBeach.org<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As summer starts winding down, local theater is picking up with two interesting plays set to open at the end of the month at Long Beach Shakespeare Company and International City Theatre.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":207,"featured_media":86682,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","inline_featured_image":false,"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_":"","_author_alias":"","cap-aim":"","cap-description":"","cap-display_name":"","cap-first_name":"","cap-jabber":"","cap-last_name":"","cap-linked_account":"","cap-newspack_employer":"","cap-newspack_job_title":"","cap-newspack_phone_number":"","cap-newspack_role":"","cap-user_email":"","cap-user_login":"","cap-website":"","cap-yahooim":"","newspack_article_summary":"","newspack_email_html":"","newspack_email_type":"","newspack_featured_image_position":"hidden","newspack_hide_page_title":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_post_subtitle":"","newspack_show_share_buttons":"","newspack_sponsor_byline_prefix":"","newspack_sponsor_disclaimer_override":"","newspack_sponsor_flag_override":"","newspack_sponsor_only_direct":"","newspack_sponsor_url":"","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_show_updated_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[32310],"class_list":["post-86679","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-art","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86679","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/207"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86679"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86679\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":86686,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/86679\/revisions\/86686"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/86682"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86679"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=86679"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=86679"},{"taxonomy":"newspack_spnsrs_tax","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/newspack_spnsrs_tax?post=86679"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lbpost.com\/esd\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=86679"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}