Season 50
Written by Joe di Pietro
Directed by Ann Swiston
August 29 - September 7, 2014
A relatively new, though in my case not terribly young, director should start with an excellent script. With The Last Romance, my 2nd play by Joe DiPietro, I knew I was off to a strong start. DiPietro’s plays have entertained thousands, both young and old, combining captivating, down-to earth characters, believable story-lines, real-life sets, and almost always music in some form. The combo is unbeatable.
Add to that the fact that the story is based on real characters, Marion Ross (best known for her role in Happy Days) and her life-partner and well-known actor, Michael Paul. They had acted in many productions over their years together, including Over the River and Through the Woods, also written by DiPietro. The three became friends, and eventually Ross asked DiPietro to write a play for and about herself and Michael. The result was The Last Romance.
And then there is the cast. Picking the right actors for each role is not only important, it’s the key that enables success. I am delighted that Kenneth Bridges, Peggy Lord Chilton, Candace Luciano and Ken Yakiwchuk agreed to work with me. Not only are they all excellent actors, they are highly professional, and great fun to work with.
Written by Norm Foster
Directed by Roseann Wilshere
Assistant Director Arleen Pace
October 3 - 12, 2014
What goes on behind the bedroom door may not be anybody’s business, but it sure is fun to have a peek once in a while. Though the humor is off-the-wall, with sight gags galore, there's a serious undertone in Norm Foster's related series of witty vignettes. Foster neatly ties all six of his bedroom stories together, with both predictable and surprising links. Every one of the late-night encounters happens on the night of Tommy Quick's big concert. Each involves characters we can relate to in some serious way.
Cast: Ed Tasca (Eddie “Nighthawk), Kathleen Morris (Betsy Ballantyne, Sandy), Douglas Pinkerton (Lou Ballantyne), Ken Yakiwchuk (Derek, Charlie), Collette Clavadetscher (Susan, Laura Nichols), Michael Warren (Nick, Steve), Jayme Littlejohn, (Davey, Tommy), Tina Leonard (Melody Ballantyne), Chet Beeswanger (Jerry), Judy Long (Yolanda)
Written by Harold Pinter
Directed by Neal Checkoway
November 7 - 16, 2014
Is there anything more seductive than a secret?
On one level, ‘Betrayal’ is a story of the eternal triangle - husband, wife, lover – based on a long-term affair between Pinter and a friend’s wife. On another level, it’s about stereotypical Englishness: politeness, repression, small talk and conversational camouflage. But, by presenting the story essentially backwards, Pinter uses the mutability of time, memory and truth to suggest that any notion of real causality in our lives may be false. And, what would a Pinter play be without the famous pauses ... gaping holes of silence that often communicate so much more than any words spoken.
Silence. Seduction. Infidelity. Repression. Truth. Lies.
Cast: Rich Varney (Jerry), Jacinta Stringer (Emma), Dave McIntosh (Robert), Geoff Long (Waiter)
Created by Dave McIntosh
Directed by Paul Kloegman, Dave McIntosh
Music Direction by Ann Swiston
Choreography by Heather Hunter
December 5 - 16, 2014
Sinderella is presented in the British Pantomime tradition (an old-time musical melodrama with audience participation).
You've never seen this classic fairy tale done THIS way!
Cast: Rogrido Lael (Court Pianist), Paul Kloegman (Buttons), Fred Koesling (Baron Hard-up), Patricia Guy (Baroness Hard-up), Ann Loebach (Loosy), Wendy Petersen (Goosy), Peter Luciano (King Charming), Catherine Gonzales (Queen Charming), Gred Clarke (Dandini) Gabriel Casillas (Prince Charming), Rob Stupple (Gossamer), Amaranta Santos (Sinderella)
Company: Connie Davis, Jutta McAdam, Margaret Presutti (Hard-Up Servants); Judy McKinnon, Graham Miller, Garry Peerless (Royal Servants); Allyson deJong, Catherine Huff, Heather Hunter, Abril Iniguez (Goblins); Dana Douin (Neil Diamond)
Written by Garry Marshall & Lowell Ganz
Directed by Peggy Lord Chilton
January 16 - 25, 2015
A blind, dying intellectual meets a sassy, streetwise young woman when she comes to read to him in the hospital. This unlikely combination brings us laughter, a few tears, and a heartwarming evening of entertainment.
This play was NOT well received by the critics when it first played in New York in 1998. It was called a formula TV sit-com, among other things, and that was one of the nicer criticisms. However, when it reappeared in 2008, the critics were kinder and the audiences more laudatory.
Authors Garry Marshall (creator of television's Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, and The Odd Couple, and movie director of Pretty Woman, Frankie and Johnny) and Lowell Ganz collaborate to give us an unlikely cast of characters to create a comedy and, at the same time, make us think: what IS the meaning of existence, why ARE we here? The questions are mulled over by an erudite, educated college professor, pondered by an uneducated, but optimistic dingbat young girl.
And while the observations and conclusions differ, you might enjoy deciding which view you yourself aspire to. Enjoy the laughs, there are many. But I hope you will enjoy the thought-provoking passages as well.
Cast: Kenneth Bridges (Peter Ravenswaal), Beryel Dorscht (Nurse), Tina Leonard (Anita Merendino), Ken Yakiwchuk (Dominic de Caesar)
Written by Tennessee Williams
Directed by Dave McIntosh
Assistant Director Debra Bowers
February 20 - March 1, 2015
Classic American Drama: The timeless story of people, young and old, looking for refuge and redemption from each other and themselves in old Mexico.
From the Director: "This certainly is a departure from LLT’s normal fare. The Board believed that a performance of Tennessee Williams’ final classic The Night of the Iguana, set in the fictitious Mexican west coast town of Puerto Barrio, should be staged in Mexico, in our theatre. Stagings of this play are rare; we were the only scheduled performance at that time in the USA, Canada or Mexico.
We took on the task with some trepidation, as the play requires accomplished performers capable of handling not only the dialogue but the emotional complexities of the roles. It took long and hard work to realize the relationships of the various dark and disturbed characters for which Tennessee Williams is renowned. The cast took up the charge eagerly, and ultimately with great success.
Cast: Kathleen Morris (Maxine Faulk), Jose Gambino Madrid (Pedro), Gabriel Casillas (Pancho), Bill McFadden (Rev. Dr. T. Lawrence Shannon), Clay McAdam (Hank), Jutta McAdam (Judith Fellowes), Deborah Kloegman (Hannah Jelkes), Abril Iniguez (Carlota Goodall), Roger Larson (Jonathan Coffin (Nonno)), Greg Clarke (Jake Latta)
Written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, Jamie Wooten
Directed by Barbara Clippinger
March 27 - April 5, 2015
Five Southern women, whose friendships began many years ago at college, set aside a long weekend every August to recharge those relationships. Free from the day to day, they meet at the same beach cottage to catch up, laugh, and meddle in each other’s lives.
Cast: Patsi Krakoff (Sheree), Candace Luciano (Lexie), Georgette Richmond (Dinah), Lynn Phelan (Vernadette), Sharon Lowry (Jeri Neal), Graham Miller (Wilbur)
