SAN DIEGO–DangerHouse Productions presents a one-night performance of Maurice Level‘s “Final Kiss,” a classic Grand Guignol horror story from Paris.
Written in 1912, Maurice Level’s The Final Kiss is a classic Parisian short Grand Guignol play. A man, Henri, whose fiancé has horribly disfigured him by throwing sulfuric acid on his face, decides to exact terrible revenge. Witness bouts of “merry sadism” and “sexual savagery” in this tale of classic French horror that helped directly influence the modern horror film genre.
The play, directed by Danger Domino, stars Teale Bossen (Jeanne), Justin Lang (Henri), Rhys Greene (The Doctor) and Justine Hince (The Nurse). Fight chorography is by Rhys Greene.
This performance is the second in a three part mini-show fundraising effort by DangerHouse, and award-winning local theater company, and also an opportunity to let audiences get a preview of what the Halloween show, a full blown Grand Guignol Event, will look like. The evening will also feature an art show with pieces by Lola Connelly, and after the performance there will be a local jazz trio. The next fundraising event will be on Sept 26, a preview of the puppet musical in November.
Grand Guignol (pronounced “Grahn Geen-yol”), a type of macabre theater, began in Paris, France during the late 1800s as a way for the people at the time to deal with the atrocities and taboos of everyday life. Typically performed as a series of short vignettes, stories often dealt with themes of horror, sex, and insanity. Productions of this genre continued long after the original theater in Paris closed, and over the past several years has seen a revival here in the U.S. in cities such as Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Now in its second season, DangerHouse has been proud to further this tradition here in San Diego by producing shows that feature a mixture of music, puppets and art. At a DangerHouse performance, audiences should expect to see copious amounts of blood, black light and other special effects on stage. Past shows have included HP Lovecraft’s “The Festival”, Gautier’s “The Foot of the Mummy” and most recently a production of Lovecraft’s “Dreams in the Witch House”, which won a Patté Award in November 2009.
Their 2010 season will include the Grand Guignol Halloween show on Oct 22- Nov 7 at Queen Bee’s, Strueel Peter, a puppet musical with dire warnings for wayward children in Nov-Dec, and in January 2011 “The Festival” returns, bigger and creepier than ever, along with “The Foot of the Mummy” – two black light shows in one.
Performances of “Final Kiss“ begins at 8 p.m. (doors open at 7:30 p.m.) at Swedenborg Hall, 1531 Tyler Avenue in University Heights.
For more information or tickets, e-mail Dangerhouse13@gmail.com, or call (216) 403-7257.
