Monday, August 29th 2016 Red Carpet: 5:30PM Show Time: 7:00PM to 10PM Odyssey Theatre Ensemble 2055 Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025
Inspired by 1600’s Spanish Baroque Dramatist Tirso de Molina’s “La Celosa de Si Mismo/Jealous of Herself
Playwright Henry Ong, PC: Tom Carmichael
Internationally produced playwright, Henry Ong, will present a very special stage reading of his latest play adaptation, The Blades of Jealousy, on Monday, August 29, 20016 at the Odyssey Theatre Ensemble located on 2055 Sepulveda Blvd. in Los Angeles. The theatrical event is open to the public and while no tickets will be sold, donations are encouraged.
The Blade of Jealousy is a contemporary interpretation of Tirso de Molina’s, “La Celosa De Si Mismo,” written in the 1600’s. De Molina was a Spanish Baroque dramatist, a poet and a Roman Catholic monk. The renaissance of his fame and plays did not become internationally known until Juan Eugenio Hartzenbusch published an edition of his plays. Today, he is accepted as one of the greatest dramatists of Spain.
Ong has turned a 400 year-old play into an ingenious madcap comedy of disguise and deception set in modern day Los Angeles. In Ong’s version Melchor falls in love with a mysterious, completely veiled lady outside of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Angels. Magdalena, the veiled lady, is similarly smitten by him. However, a humorous deception is revealed… teachable moments for both Melchor and Magdalena.
After poring through dozens of synopses, Ong stumbled across de Molina’s “La celosa de si misma” (Jealous of Herself), and instantly gravitated to the lively plot, fascinating characters and relentless wit.
“The English language translation of the title, Jealous of Herself, instantly fueled my imagination! This particular Tirso de Molina play thoroughly fulfills its audacious promise of convoluted love and fantasy! The Blade of Jealousy conveys the story of one man’s pursuit of two women, who unbeknownst to him, are actually one and the same person, thus igniting his fiancé’s jealously — of herself!”
Denise Blasor, the director of the play, said she found The Blade of Jealousy to be a “mix of Clue and the Marx Brothers. Add to that, a little romance, a touch of music and a wonderful team of artists working together—how great is that?” she said.
Starring in the lead role as Magdalena is the talented Jossara Jinaro, who is excited about portraying a woman dealing with her own issues of jealousy. “It is so delicious to chew on Henry’s [Ong] words. Although his play is a modern-day adaptation, I still feel like I’m speaking Tirso de Molina’s words from the Golden Age.”
David Carreno portrays Melchor (Magdalena’s suitor) quotes the great Meryl Streep: ‘My job is to give voice to the dead, the ones that have something to say.’
“That’s why Henry’s work is so important, it’s why we have museums! Henry takes the best of the past, the things that are worth saving—the lessons, the wisdom—and puts them in a voice that we, in the present, can hear, digest, understand and eventually pass on the torch into the future,” Carreno stated. “He’s a bridge of knowledge, of consciousness—if you will. We are all jealous of ourselves because we project our own insecurities unto others; they are just the unwilling recipients of our wrath, and vice-versa. That’s why this play is so funny—it’s too close to home! I love that Henry saw that and decided to rescue this play.”
Josarra Jinaro and David Carreno
The list of celebs invited: Ivonne Coll (Jane the Virgin), Jesse Garcia (From Dusk till Dawn), Alicia Sixtos (East Los High), Al Coronel (Wolverine), Frankie Ingrassia (Goliath), Patricia Rae (Maria Full of Grace), David Barrera (NCSI: Los Angeles), Maria Canales-Barrera (Cristela), Juan Carlos Cantu (Telenovela), Adam Rodriguez (CSI Miami), Tina Lifford (Queen Sugar), Gabriel Chavarria (East Los High), Daniel Mora (Sin Verguenza and current Imagen Award nominee), Elvis Nolasco (American Crime), Katherine Castro, Chin Han (The Dark Knight), and Maurice Compte (Narcos).
Henry Ong with “The Blades of Jealousy” cast
For more The Blades of Jealousy Theatrical Event information and reservations, CLICK HERE.
Tirso de Molina Monument, Madrid, Spain
The Blade of Jealousy by Henry Ong Directed by Denise Blasor Stage Manager Jennifer Palumbo Cast: Jossara Jinaro, David Carreno, Eileen Galindo, Carlos Moreno Jr, Tracy Perez, Kapil Tawalkar
Facebook Page: BladeOfJealousy
About Henry Ong Henry Ong is an internationally produced playwright whose works have been seen at the Old Globe Theatre, San Diego; Singapore Repertory Theatre; Latchmere Theatre, London; Queens Theatre in the Park, NY; Bailiwick Theatre, Chicago; Grove Theater Center and Company of Angels. His plays include Sweet Karma, Fabric, Rachel Ray, Legend of the White Snake, People Like Me, and Madame Mao’s Memories. He has conducted many oral history workshops in various communities (Middle-eastern Stories, Pinoy Stories, Chinese American Stories, Korean American Stories, Thai American Stories and Sikh American Stories, among others). He is a 16-time recipient of Department of Cultural Affairs Artist-in-Residence grants; and a recipient of Playwrights’ Arena’s Lee Melville award for outstanding contribution to theater in Los Angeles. Ong is an Active Member of the Dramatists Guild.
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