Grab your best partners-in-crime and hatch a plot to catch Die, Mommie, Die! by Charles Busch, Island City Stage’s riotous 12th Season closer running August 22 – September 22. Off-Broadway star Kris Andersson(aka Dixie Longate) leads a multitalented cast of performers in this killer comic melodrama that evokes the 1960s “Grande Dame Guignol” films that featured aging stars such as Bette Davis, Joan Crawford and Lana Turner.
“I avoided producing Charles Busch comedies because I didn’t feel confident that we had an actor who could take on the leading lady roles that make his plays the hilarious showcases that they are,” said Andy Rogow, artistic director of Island City Stage. “With Kris Andersson, however, we have found a star that will bring the bravura and comic chops that will make Die, Mommie, Die! sparkle. Kris and I have been trying to find a way to work together for many years and this is really going to be the perfect vehicle for him.”
Ex-pop singer Angela Arden is trapped in a hateful marriage with Sol. But desperate to find happiness with her young lover Tony, Angela murders her husband with a poisoned suppository. Suspicious of their mother, her children slip her some LSD, provoking a wild acid trip in which many secrets are revealed.
Die, Mommie, Die! was first produced in 1999 by Kenneth Elliott and Don Fairbanks at the Coast Playhouse in Los Angeles. In October 2007, the play opened Off-Broadway at New World Stages in New York City. Directed by Carl Andress, the production starred author Charles Busch and featured Bob Ari, Van Hansis, Chris Hoch, Ashley Morris and Kristine Nielson. It was also made into a 2003 film starring Busch.
Photo credit: Matthew Tippins Kris Andersson, best known for creating and starring in the Off-Broadway show, Dixie’s Tupperware Party, stars as Angela Arden in Island City Stage’s production of the satiric black comedy Die, Mommie, Die! Tickets are on sale now for the show that runs August 22 -September 22.
Charles Busch has forged a unique place in the world of entertainment as playwright, actor, director, novelist, cabaret performer and drag icon. The award-winner is the author and star of over 25 plays including The Divine Sister, The Lady in Question, Red Scare on Sunset, The Tribute Artist, The Confession of Lily Dare and Vampire Lesbians of Sodom; one of the longest running plays in the history of Off-Broadway. His play The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife ran for 777 performances on Broadway, won the Outer Circle Critics’ John L. Gassner Award for playwrighting, received a Tony nomination for Best Play and is the longest running Broadway comedy of the past 25 years. He wrote and starred in the film versions of his plays, Psycho Beach Party and Die Mommie Die, the latter of which won him the Best Performance Award at the Sundance Film Festival. For two seasons, he appeared as Nat Ginzburg on the HBO series OZ and is the author of the auto-biographical novel Whores of Lost Atlantis. He has directed two films and has appeared as a guest programmer and in numerous documentaries for Turner Classic Movies. He has lectured and conducted master classes at many colleges and universities including NYU, Harvard, UCLA and Amherst College. In 2003, Mr. Busch received a special Drama Desk Award for career achievement as both performer and playwright and was given a star on the Playwrights Walk outside the Lucille Lortel Theatre. He is also the subject of the acclaimed documentary film The Lady in Question is Charles Busch. He is a two-time MAC award winner and has performed his cabaret across the globe.
Die, Mommie Die! is directed by Rogow and co-stars Clay Cartland, Troy J. Stanley, Elizabeth Dimon, Kevin Veloz and Suzanna Ninomiya alongside Andersson.
Kris Andersson (Angela Arden) is best known for creating the Off-Broadway show, Dixie’s Tupperware Party. The show received the 2007/08 Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Solo Performance and began an international tour in 2008. Recently, Andersson wrapped up the 16th year of the tour at the Kennedy Center officially making it one of the longest-running Off-Broadway tours in American theater history. Dixie’s follow up show, Never Wear A Tube Top While Riding A Mechanical Bull and 16 Other Things I Learned While I Was Drinking Last Thursday has toured in tandem with Tupperware since 2014. During the pandemic, the streaming showDixie’s Happy Hour was filmed at Island City Stage and streamed to 26 arts centers around the country to help support them in their time of need. Cherry Bombs and Bottle Rockets is his 4th and final Dixie show now making its way around the US. Prior to his time as the southern redhead, Andersson could be seen in the films Titanic and Scream 2, on TV in NewsRadio and American Dreams as well as on the stage in LA during the 20th anniversary production of Bent.
Clay Cartland (Tony) returns to Island City Stage after recently starring in the theatre company’s productions of Which Way to the Stage and The Twentieth Century Way. He is a proud member of Actors Equity and the recipient of two Carbonell and four Silver awards. He has performed in Groundhog Day, Shrek, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Desperate Measures, Flashdance, 1776, Peter and the Starcatcher and First Date. Cartland is also a voice over artist and teaches improv comedy. He recently become the director of performing arts at American Heritage and spends his days directing his students, choosing new seasons and being the only person on campus who gets to wear heelys.
Troy J. Stanley (Sol) returns to Island City Stage where he has worked both onstage and backstage. Previously, he played Ted Sunderson in Perfect Arrangement and Harvey Goldberg in the Michael Leeds original murder-mystery comedy Who Killed Joan Crawford? He also starred in the critically acclaimed production of Ben Butler for Boca stage Troy has appeared throughout South Florida performing in productions for the Maltz Jupiter Theatre, The Wick Theatre and Costume Museum, Palm Beach Dramaworks, Slow Burn Theatre Company and MNM Theatre company.
Elizabeth Dimon (Bootsie) is a longtime working actor in Florida since 1990. She is a four-time Carbonell winner and a Silver Palm and Frank Prize recipient. Her most recent credits include Family Tree (The Foundry), Rooted (Theatre Lab), A Christmas Carol (Maltz Jupiter Theatre) and Into the Woods (Slowburn). Dimon has been in productions at Riverside Theatre, Palm Beach Dramaworks, Caldwell Theatre, The Wick, Florida Stage, Mosaic Theatre, City Theatre, Gablestage, Actors’ Playhouse, Arts Garage, American Stage, Asolo, Theatre Zone, Gulfshore Playhouse and the Key West Theatre Festival among others.
Kevin Veloz (Lance) returns to Island City Stage after his compelling turn as Nathan in Thrill Me. A graduate of New World School of the Arts, Veloz has also been seen as Tobias in Sweeney Todd (Zoetic Stage), as Manuel in The Bridge of San Luis Rey (Miami New Drama), as Ty in Sordid Lives (Artbuzz Theatrics), and most recently as Chip in Daniel’s Husband (Plays of Wilton).
Suzanne Ninomiya (Edith) is thrilled to make her debut with Island City Stage. Her recent credits include Marina in Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding (Broward Center for the Performing Arts), the namesake Rapunzel (Curtain Call Playhouse) and Connie in Close Ties (ACT of Davie). A recent FSU graduate, Susanna is eager to delve further into film and comedy.
Die, Mommie, Die! is co-produced by the Warten Foundation. Costume Sponsors are DC Allen and Ken Flick and Lights and Sound Sponsor is Vic Smith. Additional funding is provided by the following: The Our Fund Foundation, The Schubert Foundation Inc., The SHS Foundation, The Maval Foundation, and the Broward County Board of County Commissioners as recommended by the Broward Cultural Council.
Tickets for Die, Mommie, Die! start at $40. A Mimosa Sunday performance sponsored by Judith Paskoski will take place on September 8 with tickets at $55. An exclusive Women’s Night at the Theatre will take place on September 13. The show runs for 2 hours 15 minutes including intermission.
Founded in 2012, Island City Stage is a professional theater committed to sharing stories of universal interest, engaging diverse audiences with entertaining, challenging, and inspiring productions and programs, often exploring the LGBTQ+ culture. These shows are brought to life on stage through the talents of professional artists whose credits include Broadway, Off Broadway, national tours, major regional theaters, film and television. Island City Stage offers an intimate setting with six rows of stadium seating to foster a feeling of inclusion and participation in each theatrical event. Island City Stage is a 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization. It is located at 2304 N. Dixie Hwy in Wilton Manors. For tickets and more information, please call (954) 928-9800 or visit islandcitystage.org.
