Bestseller at ICT in Long Beach

LONG BEACH, Calif. - June 2, 2019 - PRLog -- International City Theatre presents a zany comic romp about writers, how they write, the stories they tell and the secrets they keep. Jane Page directs the world premiere of Bestseller by internationally renowned playwright Peter Quilter (End of the Rainbow, Glorious!) for a three-week run, June 14 through June 30, at International City Theatre in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. Two low-priced previews are set for June 12 and June 13.

Maureen runs a writers' retreat at her isolated cottage in the British countryside. Her current guests include Shelley, a hot young writer of steamy romance novels; dark, broody Damien, who specializes in tales of terror, murder and mayhem; and Alex, who is desperately searching for ideas in the face of writer's block. As they settle in to work, their three hilarious books suddenly jump off the page, with each of the characters to comical life on stage.

"It's not often we get to see a play that is so wonderfully inventive and raucous," says Page. "The art and craft of writing is built into our everyday thinking and communicating — we often talk about 'turning a page' in our life, or being 'on the same page' with someone or, perhaps, 'rewriting a chapter in our life.' Writers provide a rich spectrum of characters in Bestseller. There are secrets to discover, romances to unwind and friendships to be made. It's a real treat."

Peter Quilter is recognized as one of the most widely produced playwrights in the world. His plays have been presented in major theaters in over 40 countries and translated into 30 languages. He is best known for his West End comedy Glorious! about amateur opera singer Florence Foster Jenkins (produced by ICT in 2014), which was immortalized on film by Meryl Streep, and for End of the Rainbow (seen at ICT in 2015), a Broadway hit that was nominated for three Tony awards and has been adapted for the upcoming movie Judy starring Renee Zellweger.

Bestseller runs Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m., June 14 through June 30. Two preview performances take place on Wednesday, June 12 and Thursday, June 13, both at 8 p.m. Tickets are $47 on Thursdays and Fridays, and $49 on Saturdays and Sundays, except for June 14 (opening night) for which tickets are $55 and include a post-performance reception with the actors. Low-priced tickets to previews are $35.

International City Theatre is located in the Long Beach Performing Arts Center at 330 East Seaside Way in Long Beach, CA 90802. For reservations and information, call 562-436-4610 or go to http://www.ictlongbeach.org