EXTENDED UNTIL DECEMBER 14TH!

CRITIC’S CHOICE! – Los Angeles Times – “Another Jenny O’Hara triumph in ‘Broomstick’!”

“Jenny O’Hara Brilliantly Takes You Through the Dark Memories Of A Lonely Old Witch.” – Broadway World

“O’Hara delivers a tour-de-force performance.” – Stage Raw

“Remarkable Play!” – ArtsInLA

“WOW! – It takes an extraordinary actor to hold an audience spellbound without aid of costars. Jenny O’Hara is just such an actor.” – StageSceneLA

“A flat out delight!” – Stage and Cinema

“Jenny O’Hara puts audience under her spell in ‘Broomstick.’” – Examiner.com

“Ms. O’Hara is bewitching ‘perfection’ in this exquisite performance! Not to be missed under any condition!” – Gia on the Move

“‘Broomstick’ At The Fountain Theatre Is Spellbindingly Terrific.” – Neon Tommy, Annenberg Digital News

“A Halloween treat from the fabulous Fountain Theatre.” – Cynthia Citron Reviews

“This is a one-woman show superbly played by its lead actress that is not to be missed.” – ReviewPlays.com

West Coast Premiere

EXTENDED UNTIL DECEMBER 14TH!

Thursday – Saturday, 8:00; Sunday, 2:00

$20.00 (Regular Seating Assigned by Box Office)

$34.00 (VIP Seating Center 3 Rows – plus Free Parking)

Trick or Treat. Director Stephen Sachs and actress Jenny O’Hara (Bakersfield Mist) reunite for the wickedly entertaining, spine-chilling West Coast premiere of Broomstick by John Biguenet. A funny, poignant and “spell” binding tale about the magic of the human heart, Broomstick opens at the Fountain Theatre on Oct. 18.

Broomstick is the winner of a National New Play Network (NNPN) Continued Life of New Plays Fund Award.

Set in Appalachia and written entirely in verse, Biguenet’s charming and mesmerizing solo play introduces us to a wacky, bizarre old woman living in an odd little shack deep in the woods… who just may happen to be a witch. Creepily funny and frightening, she takes us back to our childhoods when, in our innocence, we first wrestled with good and evil. As she unveils her life, we journey with her down a shadowy path somewhere between our material world and the realm of fantasy. But this is no Hansel and Gretel fairytale; in Broomstick, justice is meted out swiftly and harshly.

PRESS:

BroadwayWorld.com

Article about Playwright John Biguenet

LA Talk Radio Interview with Jenny O’Hara and Stephen Sachs

REVIEWS:

CRITIC’S CHOICE! – “New Orleans playwright John Biguenet’s ripely poetic tale of an Appalachian crone who may or may not be a witch receives a striking West Coast premiere starring the redoubtable Jenny O’Hara… And O’Hara, always one of our best character actresses, here goes for the jugular, devouring the dialect, subtly shifting timbre and tone, giving Biguenet’s text an undulating rhythm that ebbs and flows like a rain-swelled river… Tightly woven, richly detailed and fully enjoyable, this “Broomstick” sweeps away any resistance we might have to its ostensible slightness, leaving us with giggles, shivers and even a lump in our throat.” – Los Angeles Times

RAVE! – “Thanks to brilliant set designed by Andrew Hammer and set dresser Misty Carlisle, when you walk into the Fountain Theater you are immediately thrown into the ornate and foreboding cottage of the Witch portrayed with great gusto by Jenny O’Hara in BROOMSTICK… And then out of the darkness, Jenny O’Hara appears and immediately the wickedly entertaining, spine-chilling West Coast premiere of BROOMSTICK by John Biguenet takes off for about an hour and a half of sheer delight – a funny, poignant and “spell” binding tale about the magic of the human heart… The play doesn’t settle for just entertaining; with O’Hara’s brilliant performance the show shocks with moments of unexpected insight about what goes on in the mind of a Witch… In BROOMSTICK, Sachs and O’Hara have worked together brilliantly to fully utilize every nook and cranny of the gloomy yet enchanting set. O’Hars has been set free to fully utilize her marvelous range of emotions as she recounts the life and struggles of this lonely old Witch.” – Broadway World

RAVE! – “O’Hara’s multi-layered performance in this solo show, which is completely written in verse, is fascinating… engaging, scary, funny and even poignant… Perfect for Halloween or for anyone who enjoys taking a journey into the deep dark woods, “Broomstick” offers a frightfully fun time at the theater that might be especially fun at night!” – Examiner.com

RAVE! – “To put it simply: Every aspect of “Broomstick” is truly magical… Seamlessly shifting between sentimental and sinister, O’Hara imbues her performance with a vulnerable intensity that makes the audience want to both lean in closer and recoil in fear… Every technical aspect of this production comes together to set a spooky, festive tone.” – Neon Tommy Annenberg Digital News

RAVE! – “It’s hard to imagine a better show to see this Halloween Season, and you’ll only find yourself wishing that you could indeed be The Witch’s guest as dinner – I mean, for dinner… It’s like a children’s fairy story brought to delicious, moody life by Jenny O’Hara’s exceptionally funny, yet wise and creepy performance. O’Hara is so deft and multi-faceted that you won’t be absolutely certain whether you’re in the presence of self justifyin’ witchery or of your sweet-natured granny… director Stephen Sachs’s witchy comedy is such magical fun.” – Stage and Cinema

RAVE! – “Playwright John Biguenet’s engaging solo piece takes what looks like a light-weight premise and turns it into something rich and strange… O’Hara delivers a tour-de-force performance, alternately funny, scary, sadistic, and sweet.” – Stage Raw

RAVE! – “A spine-tingling performance by Jenny O’Hara delights us under Stephen Sachs spooky direction. Awesome cottage set (Andrew Hammer) enhanced by lighting (Jennifer Edwards) sound (Peter Bayne) and costume (Shon LeBlanc).” – Theatre Spoken Here

RAVE! – “Perfect for furthering the playwright’s intention is director Stephen Sachs’s inspired casting of the extraordinary Jenny O’Hara… To this remarkable play’s credit, the final result goes deeper than scaring its audience and eliciting a few heartfelt screams from the back row. Underlying the quintessential seasonal fun of Broomstick—and transcending even O’Hara’s masterful turn, Sachs’s excellent staging, and a design that makes one want to go onstage and explore all those dusty goodies lurking in the corners of the witch’s cabin—is a surprising deeper message about the intolerance, misogyny, and rampant racism still existing in the rural South.” – ArtsInLA

RAVE! – “Set in Appalachia and written entirely in rhymed iambic pentameter, Biguenet’s truly mesmerizing solo play introduces us to a wacky bizarre old woman living in a little shack deep in the woods…who may happen to be a witch… Hands-down the best “timing” actress I quite possibly have ever experienced on a stage, Ms. O’Hara, in a thick Appalachian drawl, utterly embraces the poetic line, of John Biguenet’s wicked old woman. At one turn empathetic in another cunning, she is utterly masterful — owning the language, and wielding the power of persuasion, spells and curses, spinning a voracious, intimate tale of life as an “unusual”… This show far surpasses folk and fairytale, from sets, sound, lights, direction and spoken word. Ms. O’Hara is bewitching “perfection” in this exquisite performance!” – Gia On The Move

RAVE! – “The West Coast premiere of John Biguenet’s “Broomstick” receives an eye-popping mounting at the Fountain Theatre, having the distinct advantage of the incredible Jenny O’Hara… O’Hara is perfect as the aging witch at the nadir of her powers and memory. O’Hara is the ultimate scary storyteller you’d want at your Halloween sleepover… Kudos to Andrew Hammer for his incredibly elegant, detailed set of the Witch’s liar (set dressed by Misty Carlisle). Production values are first-rate all around, with spooky elements heightened by Jennifer Edwards’ flashes of lightning and candelabras blacking out and haunting sound effects by Peter Bayne.” – CultureSpotLA

“WOW! – A performance and production design sure to set the L.A. playgoing public abuzz… spellbinding… Stephen Sachs’ inspired direction… It takes an extraordinary actor to hold an audience spellbound without aid of costars. Jenny O’Hara is just such an actor.” – StageSceneLA

RAVE! – “The always delicious and delightful Jenny O’Hara… just the right blend of anger, indignation, and sly humor… Saving the best for last, I must tell you about Andrew Hammer’s extraordinary set design. One of the best ever… Stephen Sachs, who directed this phantasmagorical epic, has done his usual magic… a Halloween treat from the fabulous Fountain Theatre.” – Cynthia Citron Reviews