Gabriel Kahane “The Ambassador” ~ This Weekend

"Gabriel Kahane's lilting, lyrical, loving art songs... deserves a spot on a bookshelf dedicated to LA." - LA Observed

In singer-songwriter Gabriel Kahane’s landmark collaboration with Tony-winning director John Tiffany, time—both real and imagined— is suspended, as we are drawn into a dreamlike experience of Los Angeles that spans Hollywood’s Golden Age to a post-flood apocalypse.

Anchored by Christine Jones’ stunning design, rich with the cultural detritus of a century, Kahane unearths a city at once dark and glittering, as he mines everything from Die Hard and detective fiction to race riots and modernist architecture. The songs are all linked to LA street addresses—one address for each song— out of which emerge a kaleidoscopic array of characters: James M. Cain’s noir heroine Mildred Pierce; a lovesick arsonist; and the aging doorman of the storied Ambassador Hotel, among others.

“…a sustained conjuring act, in which different places in Los Angeles are summoned into being through lyrical words…and music that combines orchestral lushness with nervy dissonance.”— The New York Times

“a whirlwind of language and music from the haunted spaces of Los Angeles.”— The New Yorker

“Kahane’s impressive work focuses on buildings, architectural styles, characters both real and fictional, and an unexpectedly sophisticated, artful perspective.”— Rolling Stone

Supported by a superlative seven-piece band, Gabriel invites theatergoers and music-lovers alike to take a second look at a city as aching and wondrous as it is misunderstood.

Director John Tiffany

Set Design Christine Jones

Model Design Brett Banakis

Lighting Design Jane Cox

Video Design Josh Higgason

Casey Foubert Bass / Guitar

Rob Moose Guitar / Violin

Alex Sopp Keyboards / Vocals

Ted Poor Drums

Laura Lutzke  violin

Nathan Schram viola

Andrea Lee    cello

Gabriel Kahane Piano / Keyboards / Guitars / Vocals"