"The Postman Always Rings Twice" star and one time film goddess Lana Turner is the campy topic of Blair Fell's Lana Verner, Lana Verner, making its world premiere in Houston Feb. 23-March 16 as part of Theater LaB's "Camp Alamo" series. Bill McDonald directs.
A send-up of Turner and the "women films" of the 1950's (especially "Imitation of Life," on which it is heavily based), Lana Verner asks the one question: "Can one woman be too blonde for life?" Fell's playwriting credits include Naked Will, From the Hip and Burning Habits. He recently finished a screen adaptation of The Singing Nun, and Naked Will, soon to sprout productions in Los Angeles and Chicago, is in film development.
Therese Kotara stars as Lana Verner. Also in the cast are Rebecca Tindell-Bivens, Tiffani Ginn, Joseph Hudson, Janice Dickard, Weston Webb and Tracey Elaine Wheat.
Tickets are $22-$20. The Theatre LaB Houston is located at 1706 Alamo. For tickets, call the box office at (713) 868-7516.
* Last up for "Camp Alamo" will be singing zombies, caterwauling from April 12-May 28. As the menfolk of 1955's Milwaukee are harvested by the buxom alien Zombina, the populace fights to survive brainwashing by this soprano from another world. Valcq wrote the book, music and lyrics to the musical.
-- By Christine Ehren