THE CURIOUS SAVAGE

SKU: 2025-1-The-Curious-Savage Category:

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Critics are Loving The Curious Savage!

“Skillfully helmed by Doug Engalla, The Curious Savage is appealing, intriguing, and very funny – a brilliant combination which held the audience’s attention throughout. John Patrick’s well-written play is delightful and keeps on tickling the audience’s funny bone as the often poignant tale unfolds… This is a must-see production which will charm, amuse, entertain – and yes, sometimes prove thought provoking. It is eerily timely for a story that takes place over 70 years ago. You won’t want to miss this.” -Elaine Mura | LA Splash Magazine

“The play’s kindness and gentleness are evident throughout. Written by John Patrick and directed by Doug Engalla, The Curious Savage was a sure bet to entertain and touch the audience with its subtle message of hope … From start to finish, [this] is an absolute delight. The entire ensemble cast delivers brilliant performances, each with their own compelling individual story. Don’t miss out on this lovely play—rush out and experience it for yourself!” – Javier Ronceros | NoHoArtsDistrict.com

​”The Curious Savage may not be as instantly recognizable a title as such other mid-20th-century comedy classics as HarveyBorn YesterdayArsenic And Old Lace, and You Can’t Take It With You, but it absolutely deserves to be … As charming as it is whimsical and as funny and touching as comedies get, the Group Rep’s The Curious Savage opens what looks to be an all-around fabulous 2025 season to crowd-delighting effect.” – Steven Stanley | StageSceneLA

“John Patrick was a Pulitzer- and Tony Award-winning playwright … His play The Curious Savage … in its empathetic treatment of wounded souls who have lost their minds, contrasted against the greed and moral vacuousness of people who are functioning just fine … [it is] so sufficiently restrained and earnest that it oozes charm. The other factor that works in its favor is this particular cultural/political moment, so supercharged with chaos and cruelty by people with power, that the play’s call for kindness works not just as antidotal balm but as an appeal to employ empathy as a form of rebellion …  In a recent interview, scholar on autocracy Andrea Chalupa argues that “in an age of cruelty, empathy becomes a beautiful act of rebellion.” Did the producers of this mid-20th century play ever imagine, when they were planning this production, how, 75-years after its New York debut, it would arrive at such a perfect moment for that idea to resonate?” – Steven Leigh Morris | StageRaw

THE CURIOUS SAVAGE
by Robert Patrick
Runs 1/17 —2/23
A Gentle Comedy

When Ethel Savage’s late husband leaves her ten million dollars, she decides to establish a fund to support dreamers. But her three greedy stepchildren commit her to a mental institution, hoping to “bring her to her senses.” In the sanitarium, she befriends the other “guests.” Meanwhile, the stepchildren discover that Ethel has hidden the family fortune, and attempt to browbeat her into confessing where the money has been stashed. There is a wild goose chase where the question, “Who is really crazy and who is sane?” comes into play. With warmth, humor and dignity, this charming play celebrates those who are often overlooked, emphasizing kindness, affection and empathy in a world that too often rewards greed and ambition.

THE CAST
Patrick Anthony
Julie Davis
Jessica Kent
Maria Kress
Christopher Landis
Lloyd Pedersen
Danny Salay
Sara Shearer
Amy Shaughnessy
Kathleen Taylor
Steve Young
Producer – Aly York
Director – Doug Engalla
Assistant to the Director – Cynthia Bryant
Set Design – Mareli Mitchel-Shields
Lighting Design – Nick Foran
Sound Design – Brent Beerman
Costume Design – Shon Le Blanc
Stage Manager – Bita Arefnia

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