After Vladimir Lenin's death, Stalin orders two Jewish scientists to preserve Lenin's body for all time. If they succeed, the rewards will be considerable. If not, it's the gulag – or worse. Based on real events, Vern Thiessen's nimble dark comedy exposes the absurdities of Soviet life under Stalin.

"Lenin's Embalmers" is part of L.A. Theatre Works' Relativity Series featuring science-themed plays. Lead funding for the Relativity Series is provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, bridging science and the arts in the modern world.

Recorded at The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood in July 2018.

Directed by Martin Jarvis
Producing Director Susan Albert Loewenberg
JD Cullum as Vlad
Simon Helberg as Boris
Gregory Harrison as Lenin
Jon Matthews as Krasin
Rufus Sewell as Stalin
John Sloan as Agent 2
Mark Jude Sullivan as Agent 1
Jocelyn Towne as Nadia

Associate Artistic Director, Anna Lyse Erikson. Sound Designer and Mixer, Mark Holden for The Invisible Studios, West Hollywood. Senior Radio Producer, Ronn Lipkin. Foley Artist, Jeff Gardner. Recording Engineer and Editor, Erick Cifuentes.

Lenin's Embalmers (Part 2)

L.A. Theatre Works records plays live in performance. We stage our shows in an audio-friendly format, so actors speak directly into microphones while we add sound effects and music to create an immersive audio experience.

We've recorded over 500 plays in this way - everything from Shakespeare and Oscar Wilde to Arthur Miller and recent Tony winners - and turn the recordings into podcasts, streaming audio, radio shows, and CD’s, so you can listen to great theater anywhere.

Because of our unique format, we attract a lot of top-name talent: our actors have included Chris Rock, Bobby Cannavale, Jane Kaczmarek, Kathleen Turner, Simon Helberg, Amber Tamblyn, Dana Delany, Stacy Keach, Jon Hamm, Matthew Rhys, Alfred Molina, Jonathan Groff...and an ever-expanding list of stars from TV, stage, and film.

Lenin's Embalmers (Part 2)

latheatreworks