Runaway to Go See "Runaway Home" at The Fountain Theatre

Originally published at The Hollywood Times: https://www.thehollywoodtimes.today/runaway-to-go-see-runaway-home-at-the-fountain-theatre/

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“How about you adopt me and I call you Daddy?” The spitfire character Kali, portrayed by Camille Spirlin, will say or do just about anything to survive as a runaway; The Fountain Theatre presents “Runaway Home”, a play about the people of New Orleans rebuilding their lives after Hurricane Katrina. Three years later, Kali is rhyming, stealing and scamming her way through the still-destroyed neighborhood, she embarks on a journey to pick through the wreckage of what used to be her life. At 14-years old, this is an incredibly difficult and confusing time for a young girl to go through; having an unhealthy relationship with her mother Eunice, portrayed by Maya Lynne Robinson, made it even more difficult. Eunice couldn’t get over the death of her own mother caused by Katrina and placed blame and resentment on Kali, causing her to run away. This play not only focuses on the effect Katrina had on Kali’s family, but the lives of many others who suffered during this tragic time. “Runaway Home” couldn’t be more timely, due to other recent catastrophic events such as Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma, as well as the earthquakes and everything else going on in Mexico.

The production gave a great depiction of New Orleans post Katrina; how families lost their belongings, lost their homes, and most importantly how they lost their loved ones. The Fountain Theatre’s set was the perfect set for this production. It displayed three different locations at once; the shop where Kali gets a job, the play where her diary sequences occurred, and Kali’s home. The variance in the set wasn’t distracting due to the use of lighting as a way to keep the audience’s primary focus on the current scene. Although the subject matter of this production doesn’t scream hilarious, it was. The audience was cracking up throughout the production and that is not only due to a great script, but a very successful delivery of the script by the actors. The actors in this production were perfectly cast. They all gave remarkable performances and not one person outshined the rest.

"Runaway Home" runs through November 5th, with performances on Saturdays at 8 p.m.; Sundays at 2 p.m.; and Mondays at 8 p.m. Tickets range from $20–$40; every Monday is Pay-What-You-Want. The Fountain Theatre is located at 5060 Fountain Avenue (at Normandie) in Los Angeles. Secure, on-site parking is available for $5. The Fountain Theatre is air-conditioned and wheelchair accessible. For reservations and information, call (323) 663-1525 or go to www.FountainTheatre.com.