
Emmy-nominated actress Naomi Grossman, best known as fan-favorite “Pepper,” the first multi-season crossover character from Ryan Murphy’s hit television series “American Horror Story,” has announced a “raucous, irreverent love letter to AHS fans and the dubious art of self-compromise” in this limited theatrical run of her new solo show, “American Whore Story.”
The four-week engagement at the Skylight Theater in Los Angeles begins June 1, 2023. Tickets are now on sale at www.americanwhorestory.com.
“I still get fans telling me they thought ‘Pepper’ was a real person. Those who think I’m some monosyllabic grunter are in for a surprise!” Grossman laughs. “My comedic sensibility is probably my most obvious, defining characteristic, yet it’s something horror fans don’t necessarily know about me. This story wouldn’t exist without AHS, or its fanbase. They made me, so I made this for them. It’s my love letter to AHS fans, which is why we’ve saved this announcement for Valentine’s Day.”
Directed by multiple Ovation Award-winner Richard Israel, “American Whore Story” is Grossman’s third entry in her trilogy of solo shows. Its predecessors, “Girl in Argentine Landscape” and “Carnival Knowledge,” received critical acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, on London’s West End, as well as New York and Los Angeles.
From the face that launched a thousand AHS memes, gifs, clickbait, and fan art, “American Whore Story” is an anthology of autobiographical tales of self-compromise. In the show, Grossman reveals her history of hustling, from her compromised love life to her compromising odd jobs. She drives the Red Bull car (then crashes it into a shopping mall), masquerades as a native-speaking Spanish teacher (at the Playboy Mansion and beyond), dicks around as the giant condom at a gay pride parade (like you do)… the list goes on. It’s “a straight-from-the-heart, sweet-and-sour candy confection for anyone who’s ever felt compromised. ‘American Whore Story’ takes its audience on a transformative trip to Burning Man, an acid trip to a 60’s Rat Pack rager, and along Grossman’s circuitous, albeit hilarious, triumphant pre-‘Pepper’ trip to #1 on IMDb.”
Theatre producer Kate Atkinson (“Part of the Plan,” “A Very Brady Musical”) and documentary filmmaker Sarah Anthony (“Kiss the Future,” “The Defiant Ones,” “Light and Magic)” have partnered with Grossman to bring “American Whore Story” to the stage under their AWS Entertainment Group banner. Notable design team members include composer Stefano Tomaselli, video designer Jakob Peter Konrad, projection designer Gabrieal Griego, hair and wig designer Brandon Liberati, and makeup designer Sara Lipetz.
“For 20 years, Sarah and I have witnessed Naomi own the stage with her award-winning, side-splitting, self-scribed solo shows, and now we are thrilled to bring her first production post-‘Pepper’-fame to a wide cadre of fans and theatre lovers alike,” Atkinson said.
“Naomi has a Lily Tomlin-level stage presence and humor,” Anthony added. “She’s an accomplished yogi; her physicality and timing are as dynamic as her writing is sharp. We’re excited for audiences to meet the real Naomi Grossman – the whip-smart, one-of-a-kind firecracker Kate and I have known and loved for years.”
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions