Playing for Local Laughs
Are you in need of a good laugh? A new comedy showcase is coming to the Castro Valley Marketplace on the first Thursday of every month, starting tomorrow.
Plethos Productions founder Karin Richey promises an “ever-changing lineup of up-and-coming Bay Area comics who will be bringing the laughs, experimenting with new material, and getting weird.” The events will be held upstairs in Lab 200 with food and beverages provided by the Night Owl restaurant across the way.
“We are all about giving opportunities for actors and opportunities for people to see shows that are fresh, innovative, and something they haven’t seen before,” Richey told the Forum.
Bay Area comedienne Priya Guyadeen will host the shows with about seven to 10 comics performing five to 10-minute sets. Because of COVID restrictions, only 50 tickets are available, and seating will be spaced apart between tables and comfy couches allowing masked groups to sit together. Tickets are $10. A $5 early bird price is available for the December show.
Plethos produced its “Joketoberfest” show at Lab 200 back in early October and enjoyed the venue enough that it’s back. The company is now contracted for at least six shows at the Marketplace. Plethos also manages the “Comedy Gold,” and “Uncorked Comedy” large-scale stand-up shows with well-known comics.
In addition to stand-up, Plethos is premiering “Chinglish,” a "lost in translation", cross-cultural, rom-com play written by Tony award-winner David Henry Hwang (M. Butterfly) and directed by Wynn Chan. Instead of a live performance, the play was filmed live on stage at the Douglas Morrisson Theatre while the theatre was closed to the public.
“They couldn’t put on shows because of COVID restrictions, so we worked with them to allow us to run the play and film there as well,” Richey said. “Right now, we’re the only theater group in the area.”
She says “Chinglish” is important to produce because it falls in line with the company’s goal of focusing on diversity and inclusion.
“We started Plethos because most of the stage productions were coming from established theaters with traditional casting,” Richey said. “When we looked at the neighborhood and we don’t see the people reflected in the casting, we knew it was time to tell different stories.”
Earlier this year, Plethos produced “Four Men in Paris,” which explores four historic Black writers: Chester Himes, Ollie Harrington, James Baldwin, and Richard Wright in their last days in Paris. and “In the Heights,” Lin-Manuel Miranda's musical homage to his Hispanic and Latino heritage and community of Washington Heights in Manhattan.
There will be a special red-carpet premiere of “Chinglish” on November 6 from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm at The Chabot cinema on Castro Valley Boulevard. Members of the cast will be on hand for the showing. Plethos will be streaming the performance online between November 5-7 and November 12-14.