A naked thespian, an anime-loving slacker, the best guy friend, a controlling adrenaline junky—Jack O’Reilly plays all of your ex-boyfriends in the comedy cabaret “13 Men,” set to open at the Capital Fringe Festival on July 11th.
Presented by Leopard Print Productions (LPP), 13 Men comes to you from the minds of LPP co-founders Colleen Brown, Kendra Keller, and Faith Hayden.
“For years, friends have told me I should write a memoir about my infamous dating experiences,” said Hayden, who also stars in 13 Men as Lex. “I did something better—I teamed up with Colleen and Kendra and combined all of our absurd love stories into one seriously frisky musical.”
13 Men tells the story of three friends—Lex (Hayden), Mary Grace (Keller), and Tess (Brown)– haphazardly navigating their various life and relationship stages. Rounding out the cast includes understudy Stephanie Hales, playing Tess on select dates.
Set during Sunday brunch at The Big Board, a local H Street, Washington, DC, restaurant, O’Reilly joins the girls onstage as the Waiter, seamlessly embodying all 13 different men discussed without the help of costume changes. The girls dish on hot hookups, disastrous dates, and bizarre breakups–no topic is taboo. If a guy refers to himself only in the third person, should you run away or run away screaming? Is marriage a one-way ticket to suburban zip code and a station wagon? Can watching Kander & Ebb musicals count as foreplay? Ideal for a girl’s night out or a fun date night, “13 Men” is sure to keep you entertained.
Co-directed by Colleen Brown and Erin Hill, the directors have taken on the challenge of combining traditional character-based performance with flashback, improv, and cabaret storytelling.
“‘At its core, 13 Men is about friendship,” said Hayden. “It’s about the bond we have with our girlfriends that remains steadfast regardless of the men that come and go, regardless of the sometimes shortsighted decisions we make in the name of love— or more accurately—lust. The show is immensely relatable. Who hasn’t struggled with singledom in the city or questioned the longevity of a relationship? What married couple doesn’t grapple with dwindling romance in the face of day to day obligations? 13 Men approaches these scenarios with humor and honesty.”
And song, of course. Backed by a talented band, Jason Mendelson (Musical Director, Accompanist) hits the keys, Corey Eveler (guitarist) wails on his axe, and Tommy Beyea (violinist) saws on the fiddle to keep your toes tapping along to musical numbers.
Atlas Theatre Lab II–1333 H Street NE, in Washington, DC 20002—for five performances:
Friday, July 11 – 6:45 p.m.
Sunday, July 13 – 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday, July 22 – 8:45 p.m.
Saturday, July 26 – 5:45 p.m.
Sunday, July 27 – 2:30 p.m.
PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS HERE, OR CALL (866) 811-4111.
