So I guess one of the nice perks about living in L.A is a very large stage community. "Theater Row" is known for having several small theaters that give up and coming actors, directors, and script writers a chance to show off their stuff.
My girlfriend ends up surprising me with some tickets to see a play starring James Roday from "Psych" called Extinction. I'm a fan of the show so it was bound to be a good evening.
The play is a Dramedy about two college buddies who meet up years later in Atlantic City for a night of gambling, drug-abusing, and women chasing much like they experienced in college. Max is a successful prescription salesman and Finn (Roday) is a failed writer turned librarian making $10 an hour. The two begin to clash when Max finds out that Finn is married to a girl they both knew in college and no longer wants to revel in sin like they once did.
The play very much uses "Extinction" as a method of describing evolution in character and soul. Do we lose all sense of our selves when we change? Have we become a better person or just a better person with hidden demons and urges?
I enjoyed it quite a bit. There was some great back and forth dialogue that seemed written for Roday's type of character. Lots of pop culture references and playful insults. The set was pretty clever, being the interior Max's hotel room with a see through wall to allow the audience to see into Finn's room next door when scenes required.
So all and all it was fun. Got to see a great play. I also got to stand 5 feet from Roday who grew a very 70ish mustache for the play apparently.
Anyone who lives in the L.A area can check it out too for pretty cheap. Roday's non profit theater company is behind it and they don't charge an arm and a leg.
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