'F' is for 'Fake Radio' at the Lost Studio

September 24, 2009

Michael Aushenker , Staff Writer

The age of radio may be over, but Fake Radio continues to keep those old transistors burning in the form of live radio entertainment. Fake Radio will stage 'The Philadelphia Story', 'The Lone Ranger', and 'Meet Me in St. Louis' throughout October at The Lost Studio in Los Angeles.

Fake Radio, directed by David Koff and co-produced with Christopher Heisen, is a comedy troupe that re-creates radio broadcasts from the 1930s through '50s onstage.

'We read the genuine transcripts,' says actor Christopher Heisen, a Pacific Palisades resident. 'We also read the commercials.

In October, Fake Radio will be joined by such special guests as Mindy Sterling ('Austin Powers'), Carlos Alazraqui ('Reno 911'), Deborah Wilson ('MAD TV), and Tom Kenny (the voice of 'SpongeBob Squarepants').

Since Fake Radio's founding in 2000, numerous notable guest stars have appeared with the troupe including John Larroquette, Fred Willard, Jeff Garlin, Dean Cain, and Marcia Wallace.

'I have lived in Pacific Palisades since 2004,' says Heisen, formerly a resident of Venice. 'My wife is Laura Diamond, and she's a lifelong Palisadian. She grew up in two homes, both on Via de la Paz. She could walk to PaliHi from where she lived, but she admitted that she drove.'

Diamond's parents, Fran and Roger Diamond, have been Palisadians for decades, and her sister, Marni Diamond, owned the store Spanky Lane on Via.

'My son, Aaron, 8, attends Palisades Elementary,' Heisen says. 'We also has a son, Emmett, 5, who attends Kehlillat Israel Preschool.'

Heisen, a native Pennsylvanian, grew up in Yardley, Pennsylvania. He met his wife while attending the University of Pennsylvania and forged another important relationship there: Koff.

'At Penn, I was a member of the Mask and Wig Club, the longtime comedy troupe,' Heisen says. 'David and I became best friends and spent all four years in this comedy troupe together. He moved out to L.A. I came out a few years later. He's been involved in L.A. theater forever.'

Koff's acting credits include 'The West Wing' and 'Sesame Street'.

Heisen can't wait to team up once again with his old college buddy. 'We've been having some turning-40 angst, and we both needed to connect again and work together creatively,' says Heisen. 'What we decided to do is try to take it to the next level.'

So Koff and Heisen rented out the Lost Studio at 130 S. La Brea Ave. for these latest shows.

On Thursday nights, Oct 1, 8, 15 and 22, 'Fake Radio' presents 'The Philadelphia Story,' adapted from the romantic comedy starring Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn and Jimmy Stewart.

Fridays, Oct 2, 9, 16 and 23, will bring 'The Lone Ranger,' one of the longest-running radio shows in history. The troupe will perform the first episode, from 1933, and 1946's 'The Missing Heir.'

On Saturday nights, Oct. 3, 10, 17 and 24, it's 1946's 'Meet Me in St. Louis,' adapted from the Judy Garland film.

Additionally, one episode of the 11-part, 1948 serial, 'The Adventures of Superman: Batman's Great Mystery,' will be performed on each evening.

'Our motto is 'Old-time radio, just funnier,'' Heisen says. 'We stick to the book and then stray.'

Tickets are $20 per performance; $50 for all shows. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.; shows run from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Street and valet parking available. Contact: 877-460-9774; www.fakeradio.net.