Review by Bill Garry
Seven giant egos collide, conspire, and commiserate in a tenth anniversary staging of Louis Jacobs'"7 Redneck Cheerleaders" from the Elephant Theatre Company. This production, updated with a few contemporary references in the script, continues as one of L.A.'s favorite, and most knowing, comedies through March 8.
The title refers to the first play written by Ben, a geeky writer from a small Southern town. Inspired by his flamboyant aunt on her deathbed, Ben decides to mount the play in Hollywood and immediately gets overrun by his cast -- seven recognizable "types" with conflicting agendas. Whether you are a tourist or an industry insider, you'll laugh as Ben passive-aggressively manages these seven egos and steers the play from casting to rehearsals to opening night.
![]()
One of the pleasures of Hollywood's 99-seat shows is seeing gifted actors up close. Cast members, who alternate nightly, added depth to what could easily be one-dimensional characters. At the performance this reviewer saw, a number of actors stood out: Etienne Eckert was hysterical as a narcissistic mother figure whose grip on reality comes and goes. James Pipi as an arrogant producer/actor got under my skin -- which is exactly what he was supposed to do. LeShay Tomlinson runs away with the show as a larger-than-life, substance-abusing lesbian on whose spirit of cooperation the plot turns.
![]()
John Salandria, Whitney Fortmueller, and Kate Huffman are, respectively, callow, clueless, and calculating in the roles of members of the play-within-a-play's teenage cheerleading team. Louis Jacobs (the playwright), as an old gay actor, provides some counterbalancing gravitas to the mayhem until he, too, has had enough.
![]()
Micah Cohen plays Ben as a schlemiel. He accommodates, acquiesces, and just plain gives-up during battles with his cast. I would have liked to see more of the inner battle inside Ben; he was a little too neurotic to be sympathetic, even after he is forced to handle the second act's tragic twists.
The "play withing a play" framing is well set up and easy to follow, thanks to David Fofi's fresh and fast direction. The action takes place throughout the Lillian Theatre's great space; the set gets dressed (and expanded through clever fold-out panels) as the play-within-a-play progresses to opening night.
7 Redneck Cheerleaders is playing thru March 8 at the Lillian Theatre. TICKETS
Elephant Stages - Lillian Theatre
Hollywood Area
6322 Santa Monica Blvd
(Santa Monica & 1076 Lillian Way)
Los Angeles, CA 90038