Television writer and producer David Angell was best known for the multi Emmy Award-winning shows he helped create — "Cheers," "Wings" and "Fraiser." He and his wife Lynn were also "angels" to the Pasadena Playhouse where they served on the Southern California company's board.
Sept. 11, the Angells were among the passengers who boarded American Airlines Flight 11, traveling from Boston to Los Angeles. They would never reach their destination, instead losing their lives in the terrorist attack on the north tower of the World Trade Center.
Pasadena Playhouse still plans to open their production of David Mamet's A Life in the Theatre Sept. 16, but will dedicate the performance to the Angells. A Life in the Theatre stars multi-award winner Hal Holbrook and indie filmdom's Rick Stear as an experienced stage actor and a naive newcomer. Ovation Award winner Michael Michetti (A Midsummer NIght's Dream) directs the play, running through Oct. 21.
A Life in the Theatre is the story of two thespians, the disillusioned Robert (Holbrook) and an anxious young beginner, John (Stear). The youngster meets Robert with excitement but soon finds that his mentor has found nothing in the art but meaninglessness. Mamet's best-known works are Sexual Perversity in Chicago, American Buffalo, Glengarry Glen Ross and Oleanna.
Holbrook won the 1966 Tony Award and an Obie for his portrayl of Mark Twain in Mark Twain Tonight!, a production he still takes across the country. His other Broadway credits include The Glass Menagerie, I Never Sang for My Father, Man of La Mancha and Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie?. Stear recently appeared in the independent film "Went to Coney Island on a Mission from God...Be Back in Five" and "Astoria," although his background includes Broadway's Twelfth Night and Off-Broadway's A Madhouse in Goa. Designing A Life in the Theatre are Gary Wissmann (sets), Scott Lane (costumes), Michael Gilliam (lighting) and Mitch Greenhill (sound, original music).
The Pasadena Playhouse is located at 39 South El Molino Avenue. For reservations, call (800) 233 3123. The Pasadena Playhouse is on the web at http://www.pasadenaplayhouse.org.
— By Christine Ehren
