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The Untitled Unauthorized Hunter S. Thompson Musical


  • La Jolla Playhouse 2910 La Jolla Village Drive La Jolla, CA, 92093 United States (map)

Aug 29 - Oct 8 | Sheila and Hughes Potiker Theatre

Music and lyrics by Joe Iconis
Book by Joe Iconis and Gregory S. Moss
Directed by Christopher Ashley

Some may never live, but the crazy never die.

Who was Hunter S. Thompson? He changed journalism. He defined counterculture. Equal parts philosopher, clown and genius, he was armed and dangerous with a typewriter as his preferred weapon.

Careening from the 1940s to his death in 2005, this gonzo musical blasts into the life of one of America’s most influential and destructive icons. In relentless pursuit of the meaning of the American Dream during an era of political and social upheaval, Hunter S. Thompson cultivated a new form of journalism that ― for better or worse ― injected his subjective view into the heart of the story. Now, in another, even more severe moment of fake news, propaganda and polarization, Hunter’s story helps explore how we got here, and how to keep fighting.

Set to Joe Iconis’ anarchic and tuneful score, this musical is a rock ‘n’ roll portrait of an artist seeking greatness and coming to terms with his own legacy. It’s a heartfelt trumpet call to the moral idealists, the outraged, the outlaws and the outsiders. There will be peacocks, there will be breakdowns, there will be fireworks.

“Walk tall, kick ass, learn to speak Arabic, love music and never forget you come from a long line of truth seekers, lovers and warriors.” Hunter S. Thompson

Earlier Event: March 15
White Girl in Danger
Later Event: November 10
Joe Iconis Live at the Drama Book Shop