Arts & Entertainment
The Blue Door Opens to Rave Reviews
Performers with disabilities demonstrate that talent is not reserved for the able-bodied
Anyone who is in the performing arts knows how hard it is to make a theatrical production come to life. There’s memorizing, blocking, music, movement, and more. It’s not easy.
Now imagine you have a disability. Imagine you can’t see, move or perform in the ways that come naturally to actors and musicians.
Welcome to “Lost in the Light,” now appearing at the Blue Door In Culver City. The first theater of its kind, The Blue Door is a venue operated by CRE Outreach, providing a home for artists of all backgrounds and abilities including the blind, those on the autism spectrum, veterans with PTSD, and at-risk youth in Los Angeles.
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All actors in this production are blind with several playing sighted characters. The Rex & Friends musicians perform the original songs with all of them on the autism spectrum including virtuoso, Rex Lewis-Clack, who is also blind.
I was impressed and deeply moved. The synopsis of the play involves a stubborn student named Angel, who has been blind from birth. She is given the opportunity to have her sight restored through an experimental surgery, creating a real quandary between her family, her boyfriend and her friends.
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The dynamic between the characters was quite profound, yet there was a humorous interplay among the gifted performers. The small theater adds to the intimacy of the production, augmenting the emotion.
Many local restaurants are pairing with this production to offer a 10% dining discount. Simply bring in your ticket or program.
We decided to try Luna Grill, a vibrant, yet casual Mediterranean restaurant a few blocks away. Inside, the fresh scrubbed atmosphere provides a nice welcome for food that is fun, affordable, and fresh. Portions are huge, so bring your appetite.
I particularly enjoyed my seasonal fish dish, a woodsy-flavored Mahi Mahi, braced with a large side dish of rice, pita, veggies and salad. The Sampler Platter appetizer was also very good, with falafel, grape leaves, couscous, hummus and pita bread. If you like Gyros, you won’t be disappointed.
New to the menu is their Better Beet Bowl, with a clog of vegetables, which we plan to try next time. Meanwhile our doggie bag waits for us in the fridge.
“Lost in the Light” plays through Saturday, May 12.
The Blue Door
9617 Venice Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
