Nights of Noir by Kasey Wilson

By Joe Straw

Psst. Come here. I got something to tell you. It all started when this dick woke up in his shabby office and some dame walked in. She wasn't an ordinary dame. She's the kind of dame that made the hair on the back of your neck stand at attention.

The story is about this dick, and this dame, and this other dame. Well, you get the picture. Some of them are decent, but others I wouldn’t let my flea-ridden cat sit in their lap. Don’t stray too far ‘cause this one is a lulu.

You see, there’s this place, the Attic Theatre here in Culver City, where they are showing Nights of Noir! written and directed by this dame, Kasey Wilson. She goes by another name too, but I’m getting ahead of myself. Okay twist my arm, it’s Honey Ima Home. She is the host with the most.

“She was worth a stare. She was trouble.” – The Big Sleep.

Scott Gerard plays detective Bolt. And he is frisking the underbelly of civilized life here in Los Angeles. Or may be they are frisking him. Any way they come to him with their mixed up problems. And they do this in two one act plays, Marked for Love and Of Dicks and Dames.

The first one, Marked for Love, is about finding some family jewels. It features a cast of characters that will either nauseate you or break you heart. And unsavory dames galore!

“I know you like a book, ya little tramp. You’d sell your mother for a piece of fudge.” – The Killing.

Megan Evanich as Dottie/Tootie is the secretary. Her love for Bolt, her boss, knows no bounds. Elizabeth V. Newman, a rich classy dame with bucks, as Vivian starts the ball rolling with wanting to have Bolt find the jewels. Rachel Kanouse as Magritte, a bartender in love with Bolt is a remarkable actress who looks likes she stepped from this time period onto this set. Mike Park, as police officer Hank Sergeant seem lost from beginning to end, or maybe it's his character. Drew Droege as the The Thin Guy, is so thin he disappears when turning sideways. He is always out of place. John Szura plays his boss.

If you are a fan of Noir, there's a lot of nice things here.

"What do you want, Joe, my life history. Here it is in four words: big ideas, small results." - Clash By Night

Of Dicks and Dames is the name of the second act. It features Scott Gerard as Bolt again in another hair raising episode. Jan Pessin as Viola Shylock gives an amazing performance. Eric Charles Jorgenson as Albee A. Monkeysuncle looks like Brad Pitt doing a Peter Lorre imitation. Amie Donegan as Ima Monkeysuncle. Megan Evanich is Tootie, Drew Droege as Bartholomew Slotz and Elizabeth V. Newman as Vivian. Mike Park is Hank Sergeant out of uniform and in a robe giving valuable information.

During the one acts is a burlesque show featuring a fan dance ala Sally Rand by the very talented Kasey Wilson who gives instruction on where to run should the police show up.

"Do you fall in love with all of your clients? Only the ones in skirts." - Lady in the Lake

The Attic Theatre and Film Center
5429 W. Washington Boulevard
Los Angeles, CA 90016