Society Page
by Midge Grebbens
September
The NoHo Arts District will be suffering a loss come November with the departure of the Acme Comedy Theatre. The Acme will be crated up and moved to a larger space over the hill on La Brea south of Melrose. While the Acme’s work was critically acclaimed, and was the only Valley theatre to receive an L.A. Weekly drama award, the Acme has not been able to get the kind of audience it deserves at its storefront Lankershim Boulevard location. A number of factors may have contributed to this unfortunate fact. Poor press coverage may be one factor. The L.A. Times policy of compartmentalizing the city into its various editions has cut off Valley theatres from drawing the over-the-hill audience. The Valley is also stigmatized by its reputation as a cultural wasteland, which may prevent any expression that comes from it from ever receiving due regard. By relocating, the Acme will lose the label “pretty good for the Valley” and establish its reputation in relation to the best that the city has to offer.
We here at NoHo Magazine did our share of raving about the Acme’s dead-on caricatures and hilarious sketches and we will miss the delightful opportunity to review their shows. However, Acme deserves the citywide reputation as L.A.’s best sketch comedy troupe, and if they have to move to get it, more power to them. They will be keeping the Lankershim location for classes and rentals, and perhaps an occasional show. Meanwhile, if you enjoy a good laugh, dig down for the ticket price and catch their show before they leave—you’ll only regret what you’ve been missing.
On Sunday, September 18, the club Palomino in North Hollywood is the only place to be from noon until 2 a.m. when local singer-songwriters Tony Wagoner and Eddie Cunningham host the first annual Gram Parsons Tribute Concert to benefit Angels Flight. This event will feature lots of talent, a BBQ, a thank-you tribute to Ronnie Mack, and a big, all-star Gram Parsons Tribute Jam at the end of the evening.
Scheduled to appear are: Rio Grande, Cody Bryant, Reeva Hunter, Loose Boot, Tramp, Hummingbird, the Do Wa Riders, Carolina Rain, the Louin’ Brothers, Ronnie Mack and the Barn Dance Band, Karen Tobin, Stanley T., Paul Marshall, Billy and Jill Block, Mike Ward, Jim Lauderdale, Jackson Claypool, Kevin Welch, and many more artists and surprise guests. The price is $7.00 at the door and the proceeds will go to help Angels Flight continue its work helping children.
The staff of NoHo Magazine apologizes to our readers and our advertisers for the tardiness of this issue. In many ways every issue has a life of its own, and sometimes its timetable doesn’t match ours. In order to get caught up, we will not be publishing an October issue. ♦