Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna Bring SORT OF A LOVE STORY To El Portal 10/14-24

Renée Taylor and Joe Bologna star in a World Premiere tour de force comedy/drama Sort of A Love Story written by Joe Bologna and Richard Krevolin at the historic El Portal Theatre Mainstage in North Hollywood for nine performances only October 14-24, 2010. This will be their 3rd engagement at the North Hollywood landmark.

Sort Of A Love Story is a bold, funny and ultimately poignant play about two people who start off with so many strikes against them, it would seem impossible for them ever to get together. But, Frankie Niente, a career criminal and Ginna Petrowski, a street-smart con woman, do indeed find each other. The dramatic surprise that is revealed in their meeting, turns into a strikingly powerful and unexpectedly hilarious look at how our need to love and be loved can make miracles happen. The play, flows with passion - humor, pain, and surprise - in the story of a relationship beset with obstacles yet mysteriously conquered by love.

Written by Joe Bologna and Richard Krevolin, it stars Mr. Bologna as Frankie, and his wife, the stage, screen and TV star, RENÉE TAYLOR, as Ginna. In this tour de force comedy/drama Miss Taylor also plays all the female characters in Frankie's life, and Mr. Bologna also plays all the male characters in Ginna's life. Sort of a Love Story is directed by Mr.Bologna.

Taylor is probably best known for her role as Fran Drescher's saucy mother in The Nanny TV series. Her portrayal of "Sylvia Fine" earned her an Emmy nomination for "Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series." The theatrical feature Love is All There Is, which she co-directed and co-wrote with her "husband and boyfriend of 30 years," Joe Bologna, and in which they both appear, earned Cannes Film Festival raves and was distributed by Samuel Goldwyn in the fall of 1996. Taylor and Bologna's play The Bermuda Avenue Triangle, which they co-wrote and in which they starred, was the SRO Toast of Los Angeles and Broadway for eight months. Their semi-autobiographical comedy, If You Ever Leave Me, I'm Going With You, enjoyed successful runs in Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlantic City and Broadway.
Bologna has appeared in box office hits like My Favorite Year, The Woman in Red, Blame It On Rio, Chapter Two, Honor Thy Father, Coupe de Ville, Cops and Robbers, Mixed Company and The Big Bus. He also played Adam Sandler's father in the box office hit Big Daddy.

Mr. Bologna's acting career dates back to his days as an undergraduate at Brown University. After a tour of duty in the Marines, he began directing documentaries and commercials and writing special comedy material. ??In 1965, he married writer/actress Renee Taylor. They wrote the Broadway play Lovers and Other Strangers, in which Mr. Bologna made his professional acting debut. They then collaborated on the screen version, which earned them their first Oscar nomination and critical acclaim.

In 1971, the duo co-wrote Made for Each Other, which marked Mr. Bologna's feature film acting debut. The feature was re-released in 1985 and has developed a tremendous cult following. ??Bologna and Taylor received an Emmy Award for co-writing the television special Acts of Love and Other Comedies. They wrote and co-starred in the television special, Bedrooms, for which they received a Writers Guild award. The duo also created the television series Calucci's Department on CBS.

Additionally they co-wrote, co-directed and co-starred in the feature film It Had to be You, based on their Broadway play. More recently, they shared the same duties in their original feature film, Love is All There Is, starring Angelina Jolie in one of her earliest film roles. ??In between writing projects, Mr. Bologna's acting career flourished. His feature film credits include

They are show business pros that have not only thrived through their stormy relationship, but also have turned it into theatricAl Gold. They are masters of the non sequitur and deadpan delivery - a la vintage Nichols & May and Desi & Lucy -- with a charismatic comic connection that endures.

Built in 1926, the El Portal Theatre is an historical landmark located in the heart of NoHo. The El Portal theatre opened in the San Fernando Valley, as a vaudeville and silent movie theatre. During the sound era, it became one of the city's most prominent second-run houses. It eventually became an all-Spanish language movie theatre. Rebuilt in the late 90s and opened in January of 2000, the once 1400-seat movie palace now houses three theatres -- the 42-seat Studio Theatre (the permanent home of Theatre Tribe), the 95-seat Forum, and the 360-seat MainStage -- along with the Judith Kaufman Art Gallery, featuring many of Los Angeles visual artists.

TICKETS:
$40-$55

TICKET INFORMATION:
Call 818-508-4200 or 866-811-4111.
or order online www.elportaltheatre.com

Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter-Keddy