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By Matthew Blank
17 May 2008

Ed O’Neill in Keep Your Pantheon
photo by Craig Schwartz

The double-bill of David Mamet plays — The Duck Variations and the world-premiere of Keep Your Pantheon — began performances May 11 at the Center Theatre Group's Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City, CA.

Neil Pepe directs the "two unrelated plays," which will officially open at the California venue May 18.

Duck Variations, which was written in the early 1970s, depicts "conversations between two elderly men who are sitting on a park bench and watching ducks. Their observations about the ducks, whether factual or incorrect, create a beautiful fugue on the human condition – on family and friendship, the possibility of happiness and on death," according to press notes.

Keep Your Pantheon is set in ancient Rome "where an impoverished acting company on the edge of eviction is offered a lucrative engagement and life is finally on the upswing. But through a series of riotous mishaps, the troupe finds its problems have actually multiplied, and that they are about to learn a new meaning for the term 'dying on stage.'"

The two-man Duck Variations cast stars Harold Gould and Michael Lerner. Keep Your Pantheon features the talents of Jeffrey Addiss, Michael Cassidy, Steven Goldstein, Vincent Guastaferro, Dominic Hoffman, J.J. Johnston, Rod McLachlan, Ed O'Neill, David Paymer, Jonathan Rossetti and Jack Wallace.

The Kirk Douglas Theatre is located at 9820 Washington Blvd. in Culver City, CA. Tickets on sale by calling (213) 628-2772 or by visiting www.CenterTheatreGroup.org.

Here is a look the two productions, which run through June 8:

Michael Lerner in The Duck Variations		Harold Gould in The Duck Variations

Michael Lerner and Harold Gould in The Duck Variations

Jack Wallace and J.J. Johnston in Keep Your Pantheon		Vincent Guastaferro and David Paymer in Keep Your Pantheon

Ed O’Neill, David Paymer and Michael Cassidy in Keep Your Pantheon

Ed O’Neill, David Paymer and Michael Cassidy in Keep Your Pantheon

All photos by Craig Schwartz

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