Penned by Leda Siskind, BEATNIK GIRL makes its world premiere at Theatre 40 in 2025. Many of you may remember those iconic times of Kerouac, Ginsberg, and other Beat poets who populated our exciting world in the 1950s, a time when things were just starting to change and our society was adjusting, expanding, and morphing into the even more incendiary 1960s era of protests, college shut-downs, and feminism. But things were still relatively quiet in the ‘50s era of poetry readings and coffee shops – except, of course, for the bedroom.
Bradley James Holzer and Rebecca Del Sesto – Photo by Jacke Shearn
The time if 1957, and the place is the lower east side of New York City. Twenty-two-year-old Edie Gordon (Rebecca Del Sesto) has just arrived in the Big City with grand plans to wow the world with her brilliant poems, her fresh and original ideas, and her craving for female equality and power. Her introduction to this topsy-turvy world without clear rules and unheard-of sexual freedom – so different from her earlier comfortable life with her conservative parents – leads her into the rabbit holes comprising the Beat era. New York in the 1950s had lots of lessons for Edie to learn, including how to navigate an on-off relationship with an unemployed, self-styled genius, how to deal with an unexpected pregnancy, antisemitism, and misogyny. And learn them she did as she slowly morphs into the person she is clearly meant to be.
Steven Dawson Hart and Rebecca Del Sesto – Photo by Jacke Shearn
Produced by David Hunt Stafford and skillfully helmed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky, BEATNIK GIRL is n fascinating time travel trip to life over 70 years ago – and how it influenced what came afterwards. The play features the talents of Del Sesto, as well as Andrea Geones, Steven Dawson Hart, Bradley James Holzer, and Alex Scyocurka – each portraying a bit of the Beat mosaic. Jeff Rack’s set highlights the seedy and the sophisticated prevalent in the New York of the ‘70s, while Michael Mullen’s costumes and Judi Lewin’s hair-wig-make-up design keep the era front and center. Nick Foran’s sound and Derrick McDaniel’s lighting play a key role in separating scenes and keeping the audience focused.
Rebecca Del Sesto – Photo by Jacke Shearn
As a collage of experiences in the time period, BEATNIK GIRL explores the many angles and hidden pockets of the 1950s, a time when many say that New York was at its most glamorous and exciting. BEATNIK GIRL will fascinate history buffs, especially those involved with events in the 1950s and 1960s. It will also prove involving for those who enjoy seeing how change takes place – both on an individual and societal level.
Rebecca Del Sesto and Andrea Geones – Photo by Jacke Shearn
BEATNIK GIRL runs through April 20, 2025, with performances at 7:30 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. Theatre Forty performs at the Mary Levin Cutler Theatre in Beverly Hills High School, 241 S. Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Tickets are $35. For information and reservations, call 310-364-0535 or go online.
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