Wisecracking septuagenarian Herb Astrow finally got his big break. Over 50 years after his first and only acting role in a college production of “Death of a Salesman,” Astrow has revived his long decided, but inactive, career on stage with his comic storytelling. Astrow’s one man show, “Herbicide,” written by Astrow and directed by Lee Costello, will run at the Santa Monica Playhouse for two performances only, on Saturday, Sept. 15 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 16, at 7 p.m. Tickets are $20 and proceeds benefit the Save the Santa Monica Playhouse campaign. The Playhouse is located at 1211 4th St. Call (310) 394-9779 for more information.
Gerry Shih
Festival heats up
Once again, the Venice Community Housing Corporation (VCHC) will host the Venice Music Festival on Sunday, Sept. 16. A trio of annual events including a brunch, a silent auction and the Music Festival concert will raise money for the VCHC’s ongoing efforts to provide affordable housing, social and family support services to low-income families and at-risk youth in Los Angeles.
The Festival will begin at 2 p.m. and continue until 5 p.m. in an expanded performance space around the Palms Court, located at 733-743 Palms Blvd. A suggested donation of $5 is requested for the Venice Music Festival.
Scheduled to perform at the Venice Music Festival are Ashley Maher and her Big Global Band. Maher’s highly individual and infectious brand of world/folk/jazz has gained her an international following, four acclaimed albums and performances with several major African icons.
Argentinean rockers Los Pinguos will be sure to have the audience dancing with their mixture of Latin rhythms.
F58,A silent aauction will be held from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Items available for bidding include art, restaurant gift certificates, personal and professional services.
There will be some activities for children so bring the whole family!
Ticket look-out
Concert and comedy lovers should hurry to purchase tickets for two upcoming events later this year. “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin is scheduled to perform at the Nokia Theatre on February 14 and wisecracking Larry the Cable Guy will bust up an audience on March 1 at the same location. These tickets are likely to sell out if readers don’t act fast, so visit www.goldenvoice.com to purchase seats ASAP.
Ocean melodies
Starting Sept. 15, a weekly children’s concert series will usher music in at breakfast time at the Santa Monica Pier.
Anyone young at heart will enjoy the musical guests and activities such as singing, dancing, puppet, dress-up and face-painting, as well as balloon art, but the event is highly recommended for children ages 5 and under.
This Saturday, pier legend Michael Cladis and entertainer Rachel Owen will kick off the concerts with an interactive, automotive-themed program entitled “Cars!”
All concerts are held from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. on the Santa Monica Pier. For more information call (310) 458-8900 or visit santamonicapier.org
No shame here
At the Powerhouse Theatre, 15 brand new scripts jump from page to stage each and every Friday night at 11 p.m. starting this week. With less than an hour to go before show time, writers are jammed together with actors and directors to create wholly original works of comedy, drama, music, movement and/or furry hand puppet sex slaves — none of which last more than five minutes. It's high energy/high risk theater.
Since starting in the back of a pickup truck in Iowa in 1986, No Shame has launched the careers of many actors, including John Leguizamo, Camryn Manheim, D. B. Woodside and Toby Huss. The award-winning event has spread to more than a dozen cities, been the subject of Ph.D. theses, graced the cover of national magazines and spawned several major plays.
Admission is $5 and includes one drink. For reservations, call 310-396-3680 ext. 10 or e-mail For more information visit www.noshamela.org.
Tune in
KCRW program “Bookworm” airs today at 2:30 p.m. with author/actress/director Miranda July. Host Michael Silverblatt will talk to the director of indie film “Me and You and Everyone We Know” about her new book of short stories that wrestles with this generation’s fear of paralysis, its narcotized sleepwalker mood.
KCRW can be found at 89.9 FM or streaming live at KCRW.com
Talking about Israel
This Tuesday, Sept. 18, the authors of the controversial article “The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy” will discuss their theory as part of the Hammer Museum’s forum series.
The article by John J. Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen M. Walt of Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, was one of the most controversial in recent memory. Originally published in the London Review of Books in March 2006, it provoked both howls of outrage and cheers of gratitude for challenging what had been a taboo issue in America.
The forum begins at 7 p.m. and is free to the public. The Hammer is located at 10899 Wilshire Blvd.
Current social and political issues are addressed in this ongoing series of lectures, conversations, performances, and panel discussions
For more information, call (310) 443-7000
Dark side of the screen
The 1982 classic “Pink Floyd the Wall,” Alan Parker’s metaphorical musical based on the psychedelic band’s 11th album, will play tonight at the Santa Monica Aero Theater. The film, told from the point of view of a down-and-out rocker named Pink with mommy issues, will start at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $9 general admission and $8 for seniors. The Aero is located at 1328 Montana Ave.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on September 13, 2007. Read the original PDF.