Coffeehouse Quenches L.A.’s Thirst for Literary and Theatrical Gatherings

You’re sitting in one of Los Angeles’ new coffeehouses, sipping a cup of freshly brewed java. A corner of the room is cleared, and an actor emerges dressed in 16th-Century garb. He proceeds to perform a scene from William Shakespeare’s “Two Gentlemen of Verona” in the character of Elvis Presley.

Or, on another night, 1960s drug guru Timothy Leary approaches a microphone set up near an open fire and begins to talk about the importance of writer William Burroughs.

No, Leary hasn’t slipped something into your beverage. You’ve simply found yourself at Highland Grounds in Hollywood, at either Classical Readings or Literary Night, two reading and performance series at the coffeehouse.

According to Richard Brenner, co-owner of Highland Grounds, both nights are becoming his most consistently popular events, drawing as many as 100 book and drama lovers from all over the Los Angeles area.

“People come out for these events because they have a special connection with the author or the material,” Brenner, 36, said. “It’s something individual between them and the writer.”

Devised and organized by actor Scott Colomby, Classical Readings is a weekly presentation of scenes and soliloquies from Shakespearean plays and other dramas. Every Tuesday night, Colomby and his colleagues perform their selected pieces in costume with the aid of a few props.

“I like to call Classical Readings ‘Shakespeare on the Patio.’ It’s like performing on the green,” Brenner said.

Literary Night--where a specific author’s work and life are presented in readings and personal testimonials--is held the first Thursday of every month. So far Highland Grounds has featured William Burroughs and Dorothy Parker.

Since opening their large two-room coffeehouse on January on Highland Avenue near Melrose, Brenner and his partner, Tom Kaplan, have sought to distinguish Highland Grounds from the rest of Los Angeles’ new coffeehouses by offering a full menu that includes sandwiches, soups and herb teas, and by roasting their own coffee beans.

But, Brenner said, it’s the special events and evening entertainment that are sparking interest. Along with common java-joint pastimes such as poetry readings, art openings and board games, Highland Grounds features a weekly blues jam night and other activities not usually associated with coffeehouses.

Literary Night grew from a onetime event in early July that featured the writings of Jack Kerouac. Backed by Rhino Records, which was promoting a new collection of the writer’s recordings, the event featured readings from the works of the Beat poet and novelist, along with commentary by people who had been deeply moved or influenced by him.

“It started at 8, and by 7:30 there was a tidal wave of people at the door,” Brenner said. By the time the readings started, people had to be turned away from the packed house.

The enormous turnout surprised Brenner, but, he said, the idea to sponsor more writer-themed nights was inspired by more than huge crowds.

“People were still talking about it well after it was over, saying it made a personal connection with them. They wanted more of the same kind of experience.”

Brenner said he was especially influenced by comedian Louis Anderson, who attended the Kerouac reading and raved about it to anybody who would listen, including the media.

“Louis really urged us to continue it,” Brenner said. “He was one of the first and strongest supporters of this idea.”

In September, Highland Grounds featured a Burroughs night, followed by a Parker night in October. Though neither received the response of the Kerouac night, people filled up the coffeehouse’s spacious open-air courtyard. (A fire is lit in a fire pit there during the readings.)

Brenner and his friend Tony Barris--who helps organize Literary Night--choose the writers for the monthly readings. Some of the authors they’re considering for future nights include Raymond Chandler, Kurt Vonnegut and Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Brenner also wants to have a “pop” literary night featuring best-selling authors such as Judith Krantz and Sidney Sheldon.

On Thursday, they plan to deviate from the single-author concept by offering a Halloween-themed assortment of horror writers, including H. P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe. Brenner plans to invite several character actors and other celebrities to read the hair-raising tales.

“We try to get professionals and interesting personalities to read,” Brenner said, noting Timothy Leary’s entertaining address during the Burroughs tribute. But, Brenner added, the organizers like to keep it open to as many different people as possible.

Robin Sherwood had never heard of Literary Night before she met Brenner and Kaplan as she sat at the coffeehouse, working on her new play. She ended up reading a few Parker poems at Dorothy Parker night.

“I was surprised at the turnout, but even more with the concentration level of the audience,” said Sherwood, 30. “It was a really wonderful experience to have that kind of attention from the crowd; not to have constant coughing and talking going on. They were really listening.”

Many of her own friends didn’t show up, opting instead to attend one of the two major movie screenings that same night. It was their loss, Sherwood said.

“So often the art that really inspires people gets lost,” she said. “This community has been starved for this. This kind of event is filling a void. People want ideas.”

Laurel Ollstein, who performed scenes from her one-woman play about Dorothy Parker, “Laughter, Hope and a Sock in the Eye,” agreed that Literary Night was out of the ordinary in Los Angeles.

“The whole idea of this night reminds me of San Francisco,” Ollstein said. “In L.A., people do have performance spaces, but I haven’t seen anything like this.”

What struck Ollstein about the audience was the variety. “It was quite a mix, from punked-out 19-year-olds to intellectuals looking 60 years old.”

Scott Colomby, 33, who has appeared in movies that include “Caddyshack” and numerous television programs including “Hunter” and “Midnight Caller,” is a regular at the Highland Grounds blues jam nights on Sundays.

Usually cast in what he describes as “urban street punk” roles, Colomby is a method-trained actor who has never performed Shakespeare. He even admits to disliking the bard at one time.

“My friend Franklyn Seales,” an actor who died last May, “would always try to talk me into doing Shakespeare, that it was important for all actors,” Colomby said. “But it wasn’t until after his death that I started pursuing it. He’s a big reason I began getting interested in doing these plays.”

About three months ago, Colomby saw an open spot in his schedule and invited some friends to perform scenes and soliloquies from Shakespeare. That first night, 12 people watched. The next week, there were more than 30. It has grown since.

“Now we get up to 90 people here for a performance,” Colomby said. The actors vary every week, but the troupe was dubbed “The Highland Grounds Players.”

Many of the actors are invited by Colomby. Others hear of Classical Readings and ask to perform, and some simply emerge from the audience to fill open spots on the schedule. These impromptu orations are called “hot seats.”

The results, Colomby said, are unpredictable--but always interesting.

“Sometimes the mistakes are the funniest part of the night,” he said. “But we do get some bad Shakespeare. This one guy did the worst Othello I’ve ever seen.”

A high-energy performer, Colomby encourages a wide-open atmosphere that is still reverent to the material--mostly Shakespeare, and some modern dramas by writers such as Clifford Odets or Harold Pinter.

“This is basically an actors’ jam, where they can get together to experiment and do material they don’t usually get a chance to do,” Colomby said.

It often makes for an unusual experience. Highland Grounds patrons sometimes surprise actors changing costumes in the men’s room, and performers can be seen running and shouting from one room to another during scenes, startling unsuspecting patrons.

Phaleen Parente and Mike Forbes were sitting together one Tuesday night when Colomby and his troupe suddenly appeared in front of them.

“We didn’t know what was going on,” said Forbes, 18.

Parente, an acting student, said, “It was great. I’ve never really been exposed to Shakespeare before.”

Many in the audience go out of their way to attend Classical Readings, especially actors hoping for a chance to reel off that Marc Antony speech or play Juliet leaning over her balcony--even if it means competing with the Harleys roaring down Highland Avenue.

Randy Kovitz, who’s part of the Los Angeles Theater Centre’s Classic Theater Lab, heard about Colomby’s group at an audition. He’s done a couple of hot seats.

“I don’t want this publicized,” said Kovitz, 35. “It’ll get way too crowded.”

Another actor in the audience, Bruce Herman, said agents around town are starting to notice Classical Readings.

“It’s great for actors. Is there any other place with a guaranteed audience?”

Hamilton Mitchell, 32, who introduced Elvis to the Bard, is an actor and comedian who recently finished studying with Second City.

“This is a place you can really cut loose and work on style. That’s rare in L.A.,” he said.

Among participants at both Literary Night and Classical Readings, the stereotype of Los Angeles as a less-than-weighty intellectual metropolis seems to prevail.

But Brenner thinks that this reputation is undeserved. “I think the thing about L.A. not being a literary city is overdone,” he said. Walking through the coffeehouse, he pointed to a large round table with a group of people discussing literature.

“See those people? They’re a book club that comes in here every month or so. We look to encourage things like that.”

People may not walk in L.A., but at Highland Grounds, at least they read.

Highland Grounds, 742 N. Highland Ave., Hollywood, sponsors Classical Readings at 8 p.m. every Tuesday and Literary Night at 9 p.m. on the first Thursday of every month .