The Man Who Came to
Dinner
by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman
Sept. 7,8,9,13,14,15,16,21,22,23, 2007
A perpetual Broadway favorite!!!! Sheridan Whiteside,
having dined at the home of the Stanleys, slips on their
doorstep, breaking his hip. A tumultuous six weeks of
confinement follow. The Stanley living room is monopolized
by the irascible invalid; ex-convicts are invited to meals;
and transatlantic calls bring a $784 phone bill. The
arrival of strange gifts from his friends further destroys
domestic tranquility. It would take a stoical housewife to
harbor penguins in her library, an octopus in her cellar,
and 10,000 cockroaches in her kitchen. When Maggie, his
secretary, falls in love with the reporter, Bert Jefferson,
Whiteside summons a glamorous actress, Lorraine, to win the
affections of the young man. Knowing the girl's charms,
Maggie enlists the aid of a clever impersonator who,
affecting the voice of Lord Bottomley, whom the actress
hopes to marry, asks her by phone to return to him and be
married. The ruse almost works, but Whiteside, becoming
suspicious, finds that no calls have come through from
London. In revenge, Lorraine suggests a three-week rewrite
on a play of Bert's in which she feigns great interest.
Lake Placid is to furnish the quiet for his inspiration,
and she is to be his collaborator. The unexpected arrival
of a mummy case, just as the relenting Whiteside is
frantically seeking to get rid of Lorraine, furnishes a
malicious idea. Many twist and turns bring this hilarious
comedy to an unsuspected conclusion.
Dial "M" for Murder
by Frederick Knott
Nov. 2,3,4,8,9,10,11,16,17,18, 2007
This exciting melodrama had a highly successful run on
Broadway and the road. "…original and remarkably good
theatre—quiet in style but tingling with excitement
underneath." —NY Times. "It's a holiday for the whodunit
fans, and, as such, it couldn't be more welcome." —NY
Herald-Tribune. Tony Wendice has married his wife, Margot,
for her money and now plans to murder her for the same
reason. He arranges the perfect murder. He blackmails a
scoundrel he used to know into strangling her for a fee of
one thousand pounds, and arranges a brilliant alibi for
himself. Unfortunately…the murderer gets murdered and the
victim survives. But this doesn't baffle the husband: He
sees his hireling's death as an opportunity to have his
wife convicted for the murder of the man who tried to
murder her, and that is what almost happens. Luckily, the
police inspector from Scotland Yard and a young man who is
in love with the wife race to discover the truth, and the
final scene has been described as one of almost unbearable
suspense.
Breaking Legs
by Tom Dulack
Jan. 4,5,6,10,11,12,13,18,19,20, 2008
The worlds of the Mafia and the theatre clash hilariously
when a professorial playwright seeks funding for his new
play from the family of a former student. The "family" turn
out to be minor Mafia godfathers who are willing to
underwrite the play provided they never have to read it.
The fact that the lusty, unwed daughter of the house falls
in love with the playwright only furthers his involvement
with the Mob. "There is a buoyant joy to be had in the
comic confrontation between two of the wackiest gangster
chieftains ever to wack…" —NY Post. "There are funny lines
throughout." —NY Daily News. "BREAKING LEGS is a crowd
pleaser that should provide an additional layer of
enjoyment for people in and of the theatre. It is what
comedies on Broadway used to be like not that many years
ago. Welcome back." —BackStage. The action occurs in an
Italian restaurant owned by a successful mobster and
managed by his beautiful unmarried daughter. When the
daughter's former college professor arrives to ask for
financial backing for a play he's written about a murder,
the fun begins. The three main Mafiosi are intrigued with
the idea of producing a play. The daughter becomes enamored
of the playwright, who is delighted to have the family's
support. His bubble is burst when he discovers, through the
"accidental" death by train of a lesser thug, that his
backers are gangsters. In this madcap situation, murder and
menace are served up with plenty of pasta and laughter.
The Miracle Worker
by William Gibson
March 7,8,9,13,14,15,16,21,22,23, 2008
This stirring dramatization of the story of Helen Keller is
one of the most successful and warmly admired plays of the
modern stage. Blind and mute, and nobody knows what Helen's
fate might have been had she not come under the tutelage of
Annie Sullivan, an Irish girl who had been born blind. The
Miracle Worker is principally concerned with the emotional
relationship between the lonely teacher and her blind
charge. Little Helen, trapped in her secret world, is
bitter, violent, spoiled and almost animal like. Only Annie
realizes that there is a mind waiting to be rescued from
that dark, tortured silence. Annie's success with Helen
comes only after some of the most turbulent, violent, and
emotion packed scenes ever presented on the stage.
"Interesting, absorbing and moving." - N.Y. Post .
"Magnificent theatre." - N.Y. Daily Mirror .
Broadway Bound
by Neil Simon
May 2,3,4,8,9,10,11,16,17,18, 2008
Picking up where Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues
ended, part three of Neil Simon's acclaimed
autobiographical trilogy finds Eugene and his older brother
Stanley trying to break into the world of professional
comedy writing while coping with the breakup of their
family. Their efforts to come up with an idea for a comedy
sketch sparkle with hilarity. When their material is
broadcast on the radio for the first time, the family is
upset to hear a comedy rendition of their trials and
tribulations. Eugene wraps up the play by explaining that
his parents finally divorced and he and Stan were launched
on writing careers.
"Contains some of the author's most accomplished writing."
- N.Y. Times.
"A lovely play; warm, perceptive and gently humorous." -
Newsday.
"Expectedly funny and unexpectedly moving." - N.Y. Daily
News.
