Busch's "Psycho Beach Party" to Air on WNET/Thirteen in November | Playbill

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News Busch's "Psycho Beach Party" to Air on WNET/Thirteen in November Charles Busch's high-camp spectacular, "Psycho Beach Party," will make its WNET/Thirteen debut Nov. 1 as part of the PBS station's Saturday night film series, REEL 13.

The film is scheduled to air at 10:45 PM ET; check local listings.

Based on Busch's 1987 Off-Broadway play, "Psycho Beach Party," according to press notes is "a parody of the 1960's beach movies, with a murder mystery twist. Busch stars as Monica Stark, an ultra-glam police captain, who investigates a group of young beach-goers after a series of homicides hits a quiet Malibu beach community. . . . [The film] follows Florence 'Chicklet' Forrest (Lauren Ambrose) and her band of surfing buddies as they prepare for the big luau. Chicklet is a typical sweet-natured teen who just wants to surf with the boys, but suffers from a not-so-typical multiple-personality disorder that transforms her into a foul-mouthed, sex-crazed vixen named Ann Bowman. When Chicklet experiences a series of inexplicable black-outs that land her at the scene of the crimes, she begins to worry that she is the one responsible for all the killings. Capt. Stark, however, doesn't only suspect Chicklet in this who-dunnit thriller. As the investigation unfolds, Capt. Stark keeps a close tab on surf guru Kanaka (Thomas Gibson), college drop-out and surfing hunk Starcat (Nicholas Brendon), his girlfriend Marvel Ann (Amy Adams), B-movie actress Bettina Barnes (Kimberly Davis) - and even Chicklet's straight-laced mother Ruth Forrest (Beth Broderick). Everyone's a suspect, but who's the real killer?"

The REEL 13 series begins at 9 PM Saturdays with a classic film hosted by Neal Gabler, followed by a short selected by visitors to Reel13.org, and an independent film hosted by Richard Peña.

PBS is currently offering a Charles Busch trivia quiz (www.thirteen.org/artsandculture/charles-busch-trivia-quiz) and a question-and-answer session with the playwright/actor (http://www.thirteen.org/artsandculture/interview-director-charles-busch).

Charles Busch is both a celebrated playwright and performer. His play The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, which began life at the Manhattan Theatre Club, later transferred to Broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play. He wrote the book for the Broadway mounting of Taboo, and he also penned the screenplays for and starred in the films "Die, Mommie, Die" and "Psycho Beach Party." The Manhattan premiere of Busch's The Third Story, recently seen at the La Jolla Playhouse, is scheduled for January 2009 at MCC. For more information visit www.thirteen.org.

 
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