‘Two Funny’ Artists Put Spark in Readings With Dose of Theatrics

After three years of presenting his Readers’ Theater at various bookstores and libraries in Orange County, Steve Mellow is trying something new.

He’s bringing “Two Funny: An Evening With Barry Yourgrau and Sandra Tsing Loh” to the Backstage Theatre in Irvine on Friday and Saturday and again Oct. 12 and 13.

The show consists of solo turns by performance artist Loh and short story writer Yourgrau.

Yourgrau’s performance, titled “Safari,” is taken from his collection of short stories, “Wearing Dad’s Head,” in which he uses a young boy’s point of view to tell the odyssey of a father and son’s big game hunt in their back yard.

Loh, a classically trained pianist and effervescent performer, sits at her grand piano doing musical monologues on American movie musicals. Insight into Loh: She is best remembered as the woman who once gave a piano performance on the Harbor Freeway at rush hour.

An earlier run of “Two Funny” in Los Angeles this summer was described by theater critic Ray Loynd as “pristine, winsome and sublime, rather like watching a talented couple of people take over a cocktail party with some unexpected bits of beguilement. You want a different theatrical experience--this is one opportunity.”

A preview of the artists is scheduled at 7:30 p.m. tonight at the San Juan Capistrano Regional Library. Admission is free. Mellow said the preview performance will differ from the weekend’s. And as with Readers’ Theater, he said, the audience will have the opportunity to read with Yourgrau from his works.

For Mellow, who is producing the Backstage Theatre production, bringing Yourgrau to Orange County was a natural.

“I have been reading from his works as long as I’ve been doing Readers’ Theater,” said Mellow, a Santa Ana resident. “He’s been a favorite author of mine. He writes surreal and hilarious stories. ‘Wearing Dad’s Head’ is a real underground work. When I did it at Scribner’s (bookstore) they used to sell out every one of his books.”

Mellow said Yourgrau has done several pieces that are now appearing on MTV and he has developed a new piece for the Ha Comedy Channel; Loh is currently recording a new album.

Mellow said he chose the Backstage Theatre because he “wanted to start bringing more literate programming into Orange County and I felt presenting this as a theatrical event would start to give people an alternative theater choice.

“I’m looking forward to this coming weekend being successful enough so I can put more programs of this kind together.”

Seating at the 45-seat Backstage Theatre is limited. Tickets are $15. For reservations, call Mellow at (714) 972-1690.

Although “Two Funny” is his first “hard-ticket” production in Orange County, Mellow is not abandoning his monthly evenings of Readers’ Theater at the Newport Beach Public Library at Newport Center and the San Juan Capistrano Regional Library.

In fact, he has added a new twist to having audience members read from the works of various authors: He’s now featuring appearances by authors who read from their own works.

In September, author and Los Angeles Times columnist Jack Smith drew an audience of 300 for his appearances in Newport Beach and San Juan Capistrano. Laguna Beach author T. Jefferson Parker will read at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 24 at the Newport Beach Public Library and Oct. 25 at the library in San Juan Capistrano. Mellow also has Ray Bradbury lined up for Nov. 29 in San Juan Capistrano.

“I’m going to continue with live authors,” said Mellow, adding that he is also looking into shooting a TV pilot of authors reading their works at his Orange County Readers’ Theater. “I just want to keep upping the ante in terms of getting people excited about reading.”

Poets Reading: Laguna Beach poet Gene Gallun will bring his brand of fiery, contemporary poetry to the Poets Reading meeting at 8 p.m. Saturday at the Fullerton Museum Center, 301 N. Pomona Ave. Gallun will be followed by an open poetry reading. Admission: $3.

Used Books: Friends of the Fullerton Public Library will hold a used book sale Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the library, 353 W. Commonwealth Ave.

The sale begins at 10 a.m. Friday for members of the Friends. (Memberships will be available at the door.) The public will be admitted from 1 to 4 p.m. Sale hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Saturday.

Prices range from 50 cents to $2.

Anniversary: The Book Harbor in Fullerton, 201 N. Harbor Blvd., will celebrate its 12th anniversary this month with a monthlong sale. Everything in the store will be discounted 30%. The Book Harbor sells new and used books and has 75,000 volumes in more than 200 subject areas. Included are 7,500 first editions. Owner Al Ralston says the store also has recently become a “last outpost” for vinyl record collectors.