February 17, 2025 Breaking News, Latest News, and Videos

West End Theatre To Open On The Santa Monica Pier:

If you’ve ever wanted to experience Berlin in the 1930’s, Tony-award winning veteran actor Paul Sand will provide an opportunity, beginning Friday, Dec. 6, with his unique cabaret production, “Kurt Weill at the Cuttlefish Hotel” at the newly inaugurated West End Theatre at the end of the Santa Monica Pier.

One night while walking with friends along the pier, he said to himself, “this’d be a great place for a Kurt Weill production.”

The very next day he contacted Jim Harris, deputy director of the Santa Monica Pier Corp., who said he’d wanted to bring more varied arts to the Santa Monica Pier for years.

“He said we happen to have a space so why don’t we just give it to you,” Sand says.

After a three-minute phone call with Harris and in a matter of two weeks, Sand seamlessly assembled an entire cast and production team, including acclaimed music director Michael Roth and well-known artist Marie Lalanne.

The production will take place at the end of the pier, closest to the ocean, in an enclosed observation deck that sits above Mariasol Restaurant.

Sand bypassed holding auditions and instead relied on the notes he’d taken from performances he had seen around town.

“When someone sticks out you remember them,” he says. “I take programs home and make a circle around their name and think, hopefully something comes up.”

And something did come up. With a team on board, generating funds was the next order of business; just like a cuttlefish, Sand extended his tentacles and gathered the necessary funds to get the production off the ground and onto the water.

For Sand, the Santa Monica Pier holds a special place on his memory lane. Although he was raised in the Silverlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, he spent his summers at his parents’ beach rental two blocks from Santa Monica beaches and it is on the pier where he learned to take his first steps.

On a whim, at 19 years old, Sand left Los Angeles and ended up in Paris studying with Marcel Marceau.

His first job was singing and dancing with Judy Garland in her classic, “We’re a Couple of Swells,” that toured the west coast. Since the 1960s Sand has appeared in dozens of television series, including “Taxi,” “St. Elsewhere,” “The X Files” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

The West End Theatre is expected to have 50 to 60 seats, depending on whether tables are included in the space.

“Kurt Weill at the Cuttlefish Hotel” will open at 7:30 pm Friday, Dec. 6.

Beginning Dec. 13, performances will be held Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 pm and 9 pm. The show will run through Dec. 21, with the possibility of being extended.

The cabaret will be a “pop-up” theatre on Friday and Saturday nights but will otherwise continue to be open to the public as an observation deck.

Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.eventbrite.com/event/8804429285. Parking is available on the pier and at beach level, just north of the pier.

A five-piece band along with fellow actors Megan Rippey, Shay Astar, and Sol Mason, who plays the narrator, will inhabit the currently empty space.

Sand has a vision: special lighting, large murals on canvas, musicians welcoming visitors as they enter the space, a giant cuttlefish atop the theater, all to create an enthralling yet intimate cabaret atmosphere never before experienced over the dark, billowing ocean at Santa Monica Pier.

“We’ll be singing songs about revenge, murder and broken hearts,” he says. “I want to make it a hypnotic show. I want to get them under my spell and keep them there.”

For more information, visit www.thewestendtheatre.com.

in News
<>Related Posts

Post-Storm Cleanup Continues as Topanga Canyon Remains Buried in Mud

February 16, 2025

February 16, 2025

Iconic PCH Restaurant Takes Heavy Damage During Mudslides Pacific Coast Highway has partially reopened following the Palisades Fire and subsequent...

State Farm Faces Scrutiny Over Emergency Rate Hike Request From State Official

February 16, 2025

February 16, 2025

Commissioner Lara Demands Answers on Financial Stability and Consumer Impact California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has responded to State Farm’s...

Deadly Stabbing Outside Popular Santa Monica Bar on Saturday

February 16, 2025

February 16, 2025

One Man Killed, Another Injured in Early Morning Attack The Bungalow, a popular restaurant and bar in Santa Monica, was...

Country Club Donates $1M for Palisades Recovery

February 14, 2025

February 14, 2025

The club has encouraged members and partners to contribute to an established fund The Riviera Country Club has pledged $1...

UCLA Suspends Pro-Palestinian Student Groups Following Protest at UC Regent’s Home

February 14, 2025

February 14, 2025

Chancellor Cites Potential Student Code Violations; Student Groups Reject Allegations UCLA has suspended two pro-Palestinian student organizations following a protest...

Black History Greens Festival to Celebrate Community Legacy of Virginia Avenue Park

February 13, 2025

February 13, 2025

The free community event is part of Santa Monica’s Black History Month celebrations, with the 2025 theme, “Roots and Reflections:...

Flash Flood Warning Issued for Burn Areas, LAFD Officer Swept off Road by Debris

February 13, 2025

February 13, 2025

Storm Damage Closes Pacific Coast Highway, Officials Urge Caution Not even members of the LAFD are being spared from the...

Film Review: Love Hurts

February 13, 2025

February 13, 2025

FILM/ REVIEWLOVE HURTSRated R83 MinutesReleased February 7th Valentine’s Day is written all over this movie. Love Hurts seems to be...

New Map Tracks Palisades Cleanup Progress, Identifies Phase 1 and Phase 2 Areas

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

New interactive map helps residents track debris removal progress as officials emphasize unprecedented cleanup speed A newly released interactive map...

Santa Monica Hotel Event Space Offers Affordability, Accessibility

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Elevate Your Events with Versatile Venues and Exceptional Service Coastal stays and eclectic event spaces don’t have to be expensive....

Santa Monica Arson Suspect Arrested After String of Fires Across City

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Authorities used aerial drone technology to assist in the investigation A man was arrested Saturday in connection with a string...

Tai Chain to Donate Santa Monica Grand Opening Proceeds to Wildfire-Affected Restaurants

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

The restaurant’s U.S. presence began in Arcadia, Calif., in 2000, and has since expanded to 17 locations  Din Tai Fung,...

SMMUSD Makes Rain-Related Announcement About Malibu Schools This Week

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Road Closures and Flood Warnings Force the School District’s Hand All four public schools in Malibu will be closed on...

(Video) The Willows Students Bring a 50-Foot Dragon to Life Through Art and Teamwork

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

Kristy Acero, The Willows DK-4th Grade Art teacher, led her students in a large-scale, collaborative project, with each grade creating...

Man Sues Famous Marina del Rey Bar for Alleged Assault

February 12, 2025

February 12, 2025

The plaintiff is seeking compensatory and punitive damages By Zach Armstrong A patron has sued Brennan’s Pub in Marina del...