‘Bouncers’ Might Be Grounded in N.Y.; Shakespeare’s ‘Dream’ Clones Around

The L.A. Theatre Works production of “Bouncers” is supposed to open tonight at New York’s Minetta Lane Theatre. But if L.A. Theatre Works producing director Susan Loewenberg has anything to say about it, it won’t.

She has retained attorney Bert Fields (of Greenberg, Glusker, Fields, Claman & Machtinger in Century City) to stop its New York presenters, Lou Adler and Michael White, from opening the show.

“Nothing has been signed,” Fields said Tuesday of the agreement that was being negotiated. “The producers have not lived up to the terms of that offer. We don’t see the basis to those rights.”

It’s not that there’s anything wrong with the New York edition of the Los Angeles production that was the American premiere of the show, played the Tiffany Theatre for 11 months and won seven Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle awards, four L.A. Weekly awards and 10 Drama-Logue awards.

Quite the contrary.

It is still directed by Ron Link. Two of its four Los Angeles actors are in it (Dan Gerrity and Gerrit Graham). Designers Cliff Faulkner (set), Peter Maradudin (lights), Nathan Wang (music and sound) and Jeff Calhoun (music and choreography) are still on the team.

It is what Loewenberg perceives as a deliberate obfuscation of the production’s Los Angeles origins that has kept her from signing. The problem, she alleges, is that “Adler hasn’t done most of the things he said he was going to do.”

Among them is to give proper program credit to the Los Angeles producers in a typeface no less than 50% of the presenters’ typeface (Adler insists the credit they did run is 50% of the presenters’ typeface even if it doesn’t look it), and to run program bios on L.A. Theatre Works (something they did not do, Adler claiming that those bios arrived too late, but also claiming they will run “in the next printing,” assuming there is one).

Furthermore, the program bios of the actors, writer, director and technical artists conspicuously avoid any reference to the Los Angeles production of “Bouncers” or their participation in it.

“I’m not discussing the individual bios,” Adler said Tuesday from New York. “She can’t control the playbill. I’m from L.A. I grew up in L.A. I’m proud of L.A. This play originated in England. I have no contract that says I shouldn’t emphasize England.

“It’s not an L.A. production. It has cuts. It has two new actors. She’s flying the wrong kite.”

“Lou Adler deserves all the credit he can get for taking something we made--created--and giving it a larger arena,” Loewenberg said, “but that’s all he’s doing. Somebody else found it, directed it, created the hit. He didn’t.”

Is Fields going to try to get an injunction to stop the opening?

“We will take some kind of action,” Fields said cryptically, adding that he’s written to Adler’s attorneys. “We’re certainly going to seek remedies, including seeking action for punitive damages. (Adler) had better reach an agreement with (Loewenberg) if he can, or not put on the play. Remember that nothing is signed.”

CAVEAT EMPTOR: Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts artistic director Jack Shouse has advised The Times that “PCPA Theaterfest has no plans to move its much-lauded production of ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’ to Los Angeles,” and warns that the “Midsummer Night’s Dream” presented by Actsport Productions and moving into the Westwood Playhouse on Oct. 7 cannot be “advertised or promoted as the PCPA Theaterfest or Solvang production.”

Actsport, however, has rented the set, props and costumes from the PCPA production. The show is being restaged by the same director (John Fletcher), with the same score (Peter Erskine) and many of the same actors.

Speaking of PCPA Theaterfest, its “Gershwin: An Evening of Music” returns to the Solvang Festival Theatre Saturday through Sunday as part of that city’s annual Danish Days celebration.