LOS ANGELES, Calif. (April 2nd, 2018) — Singer/Songwriter LeRoy Johnson was born at Charity Hospital in the city of New Orleans, sometime in the late 1950’s or early 1960’s (we think). In 2005 Hurricane Katrina flooded the hospital, and it’s record room, causing many old files to go unrecovered and the hospital to remain closed to this day.
What happened to young LeRoy Johnson after those early days in New Orleans has always been a mystery. Until now. Now, freshly out of prison (after 20+ years), with no shortage of rumor and gossip, this mystical musician, who has impacted fans worldwide, is looking for his story to be told to a few final audiences before he heads home for good.
By influencing other musicians, artists and politicians, LeRoy “Phat Trane” Johnson has managed to quietly nudge his way into American culture. Hear some of the famous songs and the stories behind them in this new show debuting at the 2018 Hollywood Fringe Festival, a show called “Phat Trane: FOUND”.
“Phat Trane FOUND” next performance will be on Sunday November 4th at Santa Monica Playhouse.
All tickets for November 4th performance are FREE but reservations are required.
For more information or to reserve your seats call the Box Office at 310-394-9779 ext 1 or email theatre@santamonicaplayhouse.com.
About Brandon Sharkey:
Playwright Brandon Sharkey began performing in front of audiences at the age of 11 (his parents needed to pay the bills somehow). He started doing stand-up comedy at 15 years old (as a work release program). After graduating high school (he tests well) Brandon attended UCLA school of Theatre, Film, and Television. There Brandon joined the UCLA Comedy Club and performed Stand-up, Improv and sketch comedy throughout Southern California. He eventually moved on to Whittier College earning a degree in Playwriting. Since then, Brandon has settled in Los Angeles and has worked as an actor, comedian and writer. His playwriting credits include “Without Doors”, “The Realities” and “always a quarter to three”.
With any performance there is always this preshow jitters that everyone gets from the performers to the audience. But as soon as "PHAT TRANE" kicked off you are strapped in and along for ride. With every song you genuinely feel like you are getting to know piece by piece the man that by the end of the performance you want to say "Hey Phat Trane" to. overall a great and memorable performance and I can't wait to see what's next!!
SPOILER: This play is an Andy Kaufman like ruse of epic proportions, that almost completely fooled me and I'm not the only one! The theatricality of the attractive nurse wheeling him out was the only thing that caused me to raise an eyebrow. That said, this play is a must see! Funny, poignant, and inspiring with great music. Phat Trane may be completely fake, but this play is the real deal. Perfectly captures the feeling of being a fly on the wall with an aging folk blues musician, learning pearls of hard won wisdom, laughing and crying all the way. Blind Willie McTell and John Lee Hooker are gone, but you can still have a life changing sit down with Phat Train! They should be selling a CD of these songs at the end of the show! I'd buy one.
Wow - I didn't know what to expect and was...blown away. Brandon commanded the stage and was poignant without preaching. The songs were well-written, well-performed and the show was assuredly entertaining.
With any performance there is always this preshow jitters that everyone gets from the performers to the audience. But as soon as "PHAT TRANE" kicked off you are strapped in and along for ride. With every song you genuinely feel like you are getting to know piece by piece the man that by the end of the performance you want to say "Hey Phat Trane" to. overall a great and memorable performance and I can't wait to see what's next!!
SPOILER: This play is an Andy Kaufman like ruse of epic proportions, that almost completely fooled me and I'm not the only one! The theatricality of the attractive nurse wheeling him out was the only thing that caused me to raise an eyebrow. That said, this play is a must see! Funny, poignant, and inspiring with great music. Phat Trane may be completely fake, but this play is the real deal. Perfectly captures the feeling of being a fly on the wall with an aging folk blues musician, learning pearls of hard won wisdom, laughing and crying all the way. Blind Willie McTell and John Lee Hooker are gone, but you can still have a life changing sit down with Phat Train! They should be selling a CD of these songs at the end of the show! I'd buy one.
Wow - I didn't know what to expect and was...blown away. Brandon commanded the stage and was poignant without preaching. The songs were well-written, well-performed and the show was assuredly entertaining.
