LAFPI

WHAT: War Stories. A romantic comedy-drama.
WHO: Written by Sarah Kelly. Directed by Stacy Ann Raposa.
WHEN: Previews Friday, February 3 at 8:00 p.m. Opens Saturday, February 4, 2017 at 8:00 p.m. Runs through February 26. Show times: Fri. and Sat. at 8:00. Sun. at 2:00 and 7:00 on February 12; at 7:00 on February 19; at 2:00 on February 26 (Oscar® Sunday). Dark on February 5 (Super Bowl Sunday).

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The new production of War Stories is an expanded version of a show that was a hit at the 2016 Hollywood Fringe Festival.
The title of War Stories is ironic. The narrative is an erotic roundelay, taking its cue from a quote from Ovid: “Every lover is a soldier.”
The characters are all in their early 30s, which suggests that they’re invested in succeeding in their careers and their relationships, to varying degrees. Jen is a therapist. Her client, bad boy Jake, is having an affair with beautiful actress Chelsea, who is simultaneously the girlfriend of Sam, a writer. Sam dated Jen back in their college days.

As Sir Walter Scott put it, “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.”
War Stories is specifically an L.A. story. Playwright Sarah Kelly elaborates, “There is something about this city that makes it fertile ground for this type of story. There’s something so optimistic about a place jammed full of creative people, living one break away from making their dreams come true. The sense of possibility is real and it’s intoxicating. Yet it can also be an incredibly lonely place. Countless hours of one’s life lost stuck in traffic jams, or working dead end jobs to pay the bills. How many people spend years existing on hope alone, always one step away from getting that thing that they think will make them happy?”

Ms. Kelly is also an actor and producer. She is a magna cum laude graduate of USC. Director Stacy Ann Raposa is also a USC alumna. She has directed at various theater companies around Los Angeles. She is also a writer, actor and producer. She is the creator of Bare Naked Angels, a series of programs featuring solo writer-performers.

The cast of War Stories includes Sarah Kelly, Alexander Carroll, Roxanne Jaeckel and Samuel Martin Lewis.

As Fate would have it, War Stories opens just ten days before Valentine’s Day.