99¢ Only Store

"I’ve become a 99¢ Only Stores junkie. My morning trip coincides with my first corner cup of coffee. I shuffle cup in hand, bed-haired and crusty eyed, down each aisle, not looking for the bargain, necessarily, but looking for the opportunities. My best and worst moment happened right there in the store when I decided that all of this stuff needed to decorate a holiday dance show of mine.

So, for weeks I had to finish my coffee before embarking on my explorations of the store so that I could have both hands free to fit plastic baskets on my head, marvel at the many design possibilities of a 99¢ bra, bounce every item that just might return to me from the floor (some didn’t… I had to buy them… only a dollar!) and calculate just how many pleated skirts could be extracted from one vinyl, floral table cloth. My god, it’s endless.

"I called the 99¢ Only Stores headquarters in the City of Commerce and they received their new disciple with open arms. I was given a grand golf cart tour of their giant warehouse, bulging with a billion do-dads. I was ushered past the door to door salespeople attempting to unload another 5000 light bulbs and was gifted with a bounty of 99¢ Only shirts, thousands of 99¢ Only stickers, three hundred dollars worth of 99¢ Only money, two huge 'Coming Soon' banners and a 99¢ Only beach ball… with all their blessings to make a fabulous holiday show. And that’s what we’ve done."

-Ken Roht    

Press Review

L.A. WEEKLY
Performance Pick of the Week
December 18, 2002

The 99¢ Only Store World of Bargain Entertainment Dance Extravaganza

When Ken Roht looks at Mylar thong underwear, he sees an exotic headdress. In Roht’s mind, an inexpensive bucket can become a hat augmented by colorful feather-duster plumes (a bargain at 99¢ apiece). For the award-winning choreographer, the 99¢ Only Store is a treasure-trove of mundane objects with endless possibilities—even toilet brushes can become whimsical puppets. Roht is a self-described "99¢ Only Store junkie" who now wants to take his obsession public. The result is The 99¢ Only Store World of Bargain Entertainment Dance Extravaganza, a new work conceived, choreographed and directed by Roht. With a cast of nearly 30, the performance focuses on joy, excess and American consumerism. Although conspicuous consumption is one of the underlying themes, this isn’t a show about corporate bad guys. Roht says that Bargain Entertainment in no way mocks the 99¢ Only Store chain: The company is co-sponsoring the piece. Bargain Entertainment features dance vignettes showcasing the pleasures of abundance—99¢ Only—style. In addition to movement pieces, the performance features music, puppets, spoken-word excerpts from corporate reports and actors riding around the stage on shopping carts. The music is by John Ballinger, with an additional song—"99¢ Only Rap"—by John Zalewski and Erik Patterson. O-Lan Jones and Laural Meade are among the musical performers, and dance artists include Sissy Boyd, Tamar Fortgang and Scarlett Rouge. Aside from a few foundation garments, all of the costumes created by Ann Closs-Farley, Rebecca Heron, Robert Prior and Kirk Wilson are made from products sold at 99¢ Only Stores; likewise with Keith Mitchell’s set design. Playwright Peter Nieves has supplied some additional text. Asked whether Bargain Entertainment is a seasonal performance, Roht says, "It’s a holiday show, but there’s nothing Christmas-y about it," adding, "It’s more like a peace rally. There’s even a dancer named Peace [Harambe]."...

— Sandra Ross