Reviewed by Travis Michael Holder

Powerhouse Theatre

Believe me, my time-traveling fellow Body Thetans, you’re in for a unique holiday treat right now at the Powerhouse Theatre in Santa Monica . Kyle Jarrow and Alex Timbers won a special Obie Award citation last season in New York for their crafty and most unusual A Very Merry Unauthorized Children’s Scientology Pageant, a truly unparalleled theatrical experience for anyone with a sense of humor—and maybe even a cruel streak of appreciation for being able to laugh out loud at this well-picked ensemble of incredibly cute and most sincere children, all aged 8 to 13.

L to R - Molly Elizabeth Matzke, Nikki Haddad, Jamie Dahlke, Mario Quiñonez, Katie Ellis (Angel), Kristopher Barnett, Chigoziri Ikeme, Kyle Kaplan Center: Anthony Quiñonez as Tom Cruise. Photos: Kevin Merrill	Featuring an unexpectedly haunting score by Jarrow and ingenious direction by Timbers, the intentionally cheesy and unadorned Scientology Pageant is a treasure, as these endearing kiddies fumble with tinsel halos and bump into cardboard set pieces (and one another) as they earnestly recite and sing about the bizarro real life of Scientology guru L. Ron Hubbard, who must be spinning in his grave if he isn’t circling over our heads in a spaceship, laughing his head off at all the foolish people who made him such a rich and infamous figure in our evermore cuckoo modern world.
With the addition of David Evans Morris’ homemade-looking set pieces, nearly as impressive as anything captured forever on film by Ed Wood himself in Plan Nine from Outer Space, and costumes by Jennifer Rogien appearing as though they were created in the spare bedroom by each of the kids’ moms, the effect is akin to a makeshift holiday pageant staged in a church basement somewhere in Ohio or some other “Red State”—except that Jarrow’s crafty book and lyrics send up Hubbard & Co. bigtime.
Jessica Haddad - Kyle Kaplan as L. Ron Hubbard	Although the script for this Pageant is suitably scathing, surprisingly no lawsuits have been threatened here in the very heart Hubbardland, as they were during the show’s New York debut. The cast, led with savvy pizzazz by a pintsized Kyle Kaplan as Hubbard himself, is uniformly a knockout. Kristopher Barnett, Lauren Clinton, Jamie Dahlke, Drake E. Duenas, Katie Ellis, Nikki and Jessica Haddad, Chigoziri Ikeme, and Molly Matzke all have a great future ahead of them in the Biz—and brothers Mario and Tony Quinonez, aged 8 and 10, could become the new Marx Brothers if Mrs. Quinonez pops out a third sibling.

Still, for all it’s fun and gifts, above all it is Timbers who must be commended the most for directing this group of surely highly precocious veteran Munchkins to look and act like bumbling, self-conscious amateurs.

For tickets, call (866) 633-6246.

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EXTENDED TO DECEMBER!
WHO:
Starring: Kristopher Barnett (age 11), Jamie Dahlke (age10), Katie Ellis (age 11), Nikki Haddad (age 10), Jessica Haddad (age 10),
Chigoziri Ikeme (age 9), Kyle Kaplan (age 13), Molly Elizabeth Matzke (age 9), Anthony Quinonez (age 8) and Mario Quinonez (age 10)
Book, music and lyrics by Kyle Jarrow
From a concept by Alex Timbers
Directed by Alex Timbers
Produced by Aaron Lemon-Strauss, Andrew Barrett-Weiss & Robert J. Wunsch

WHEN:
previews Wednesday, October 13 and Thursday, October 14 at 8 pm
opens Friday, October 15 at 8 pm
continues through November 21:
Thursdays: Oct. 21, 28; Nov. 4, 11, 18 at 8 pm
Fridays: Oct. 15 (opening night), 22, 29; Nov. 5, 12, 19 at 8 pm
Saturdays: Oct. 16, 23, 30; Nov. 6, 13, 20 at 8 pm
Sundays: Oct. 17, 24, 31; Nov. 7, 14, 21 at 7 pm

WHERE:
Powerhouse Theatre
3116 2nd Street (one block east of Main, between Rose & Marine)
Santa Monica CA 90405

HOW:
1-866-OFF-MAIN (1-866-633-6246) or tix@powerhousetheatre.com.

TICKETS:
General admission: $25.00
Students and seniors: $20.00

DISCLAIMER:
This production is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by The Church of Scientology.