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Podcasts The Frame
Playwright Paula Vogel Asks: What Is 'Indecent'?
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Episode 19822
Listen 26:33
Playwright Paula Vogel Asks: What Is 'Indecent'?

After a Broadway run, her play about a 1920s obscenity trial comes to Los Angeles; the annual E3 convention draws to a close with plenty of news from the gaming world; the band Making Movies got a boost on its latest album from Ruben Blades.

The cast of “Indecent” at the Ahmanson Theatre.
The cast of “Indecent” at the Ahmanson Theatre.
(
T. Charles Erickson
)

On today's show:

A Play About A Play

(Starts at 8:30)

Paula Vogel has never played by the rules or accepted censorship of her writing. And, as she recently told The Frame, the playwright — now in her 60s — doesn’t plan on slowing down. After years of writing award-winning plays and mentoring many up-and-coming theater artists, Vogel made her own Broadway debut in 2017 with “Indecent,” now playing at the Ahmanson Theatre. “Indecent” is based on the real-life story of Jewish playwright, Sholem Ash, who penned a controversial play in 1906 called "God of Vengeance." Over the years the show was a hit and included the first lesbian kiss on the American stage.  "God of Vengeance" opened at New York’s Apollo Theater in 1923, only for the actors to be arrested and tried for obscenity. John Horn talks with Vogel about how the story behind "God of Vengeance" is strikingly relevant today.

E3 Makes a Lot of E-News

(Starts at 1:00)

The massive annual gaming convention in Los Angeles included an announcement that Netflix is getting into the video game business. LAist.com arts and entertainment editor Mike Roe fills us in on that and other news.

The Band Making Movies Gets A Celebrity Boost

(Starts at 19:30)

The Kansas City-based Latin rock band, Making Movies, was little known until singer Ruben Blades invited them to record a song with him. The quartet is currently on tour across the country and The Frame contributor Betto Arcos got a chance to talk with the members during their stop in Los Angeles.