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LEND ME A TENOR
By Ken Ludwig, Directed by Annette Coleman, Sponsored in
part by WHLC Radio
Thursday, February 28-Saturday, March 1, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 2,
2:30 p.m.
Friday, March 7 and Saturday, March 8, 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, March 9, 2:30
p.m.
This is a clever and wildly entertaining comedy in which confusion, mistaken identity, innuendo and slapstick are key elements. The plot is this: The Cleveland Grand Opera is celebrating its biggest night in history—a gala fund-raiser to raise $50,000 for the opera company. World famous tenor Tito Merelli is scheduled to sing the lead in Otello, but chaos sets in when a “Dear John” letter is mistaken for a suicide note and it seems unlikely that Tito will appear on stage. But Henry Saunders, the opera company’s general manager, is determined that the “show must go on” and the struggle to see that it does is nothing short of hilarious.
Tenor was first presented on Broadway in March 1989 and has become a favorite of community and regional theaters. Now the Players will bring it to Chestnut Street, Highlands.
COMING UP FOR HCP IN 2008
Parallel Lives II – at ITC March 28 and 29
With the success of Parallel Lives staged at ITC’s studio theatre last year, the two groups will collaborate again to produce a second version of Parallel Lives paired with a one-act drama-comedy, Graceland by Ellen Byron.
Parallel Lives II, like Parallel Lives I, features a series of vignettes with all characters played by women and covers a range of human emotions, touching on everything from plastic surgery to teenage romance to group therapy. Graceland tells the story of two avid Elvis Presley fans, awaiting the first time opening of “The King’s” home.
Director: Mary Adair Leslie -- Cast: Mary Bynum, Katie Cochran, Bonnie Earman, Carla Gates, Jenny King, Diane Rosazza, Ronnie Spilton, Breta Stroud, Sandie Trevathan.
For reservations, call the ITC box office, 828-342-9197.
COMING NEXT WITH HCP AT PAC
THE LAST NIGHT OF BALLYHOO
by Alfred Uhry
Directed by Mary Adair Leslie, May 8-11; May 15-18, 2008
Set in Atlanta in December 1939, the play concerns a Jewish family whose daughter needs an escort for Ballyhoo, the social event of the season. The arrival of a young man from New York creates turmoil in the family, but eventually problems are resolved with plenty of comedy, romance, and revelations along the way.
Auditions have taken place and the cast chosen. It includes Colin Long, Becky Schilling, Ralph Stevens, Jenny King, Laura Miller, Katie Cochran, and Matthew McLean, a student at Highlands High School.
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO
THE FORUM
Music/Lyrics by Stephen
Sondheim
HCP’s First Musical! - Directed by Ronnie Spilton, August 12-24; August
28-31, 2008
This hysterically funny Sondheim classic, filled with singable, humorous songs, is set in ancient Rome where a young man of respectable family falls in love with the beautiful virgin who lives in the house of ill-repute next door. His slave is promised his freedom if he can acquire the virgin for his lovesick master. Thus ensues a riotous romp heralded by the opening number, Comedy Tonight!
A SECOND DEATH BY CHOCOLATE
As a benefit for the Cashiers Summit Charter School, Jody Read’s production company, Carolina Murder Mysteries Inc., and the Community Players recently presented the dinner theater mystery Death by Chocolate, which was staged last year as a benefit for the Performing Arts Center, raising $5,000 to help with the recent additions to the PAC building
Directed by Jody Read, the Chocolate cast included Ronnie Spilton, Jim Gordon, Dean Zuch, Stuart Armor, Ron Leslie, Laura Miller, and Virginia Talbot, who played the role of the irascible male French chef. The event took place at the Sapphire Community Center with the dinner catered by Jimmy Mack’s of Cashiers.
Susan Stinson and Allison Mulkey assisted by HCP’s Jim Gordon coordinated efforts of parents of Summit School’s 8th students, planning the dinner, selling tickets, doing the decorations, and serving as wait staff for the two evenings of performance along with their children. $6,000 were raised to send students of the 8th grade on an educational trip in May to Washington D.C.
NO PROBLEM CASTING A TENOR FOR TENOR
The opera manager in Lend Me a Tenor may have had his troubles finding a tenor to borrow, but director Annette Coleman had no problem finding an actor for the role. She is married to a tenor and actor, Wayne Coleman, whom she cast in the role of Tito Merelli, world famous opera singer.
Annette and Wayne have known each other for quite awhile. They were high school sweethearts in Reidsville, Georgia, where they performed together for the first time in a school play. Eventually, they married and headed to the University of Georgia, where Annette worked toward a graduate degree in Drama while Wayne finished his degree in Journalism. Then on to Atlanta where the couple started a family, and Wayne, a medical products company. Twenty years passed by before theater entered their lives for a second time. Then Annette began acting again, wrote scripts, and directed, with Wayne as her leading man, singing in a number of the big musicals of the times—“Sound of Music,” “Music Man,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “My Fair Lady” and many others.
The Colemans became full time residents of Highlands in 2004 and were soon involved with the Highlands Community Players. Now Annette is once again directing her husband and, though he does talk back once in awhile, they make a great team.
A PLAY FOR HIGHLANDS HIGH SCHOOL
For many years a senior play was produced at the high school but the loss of a drama teacher a few years ago forced its cancellation. For many years a French play was also staged under the direction of French teacher Dr. Patsy Wilson, but with her retirement at the end of the school, it looked as though there would be no play at all this year.
Then, a private donor approached Elaine Whitehurst, President of the Performing Arts Center, offering funds sufficient to produce a play for Highlands High School, using PAC as the venue. Whitehurst contacted HCP President Ronnie Spilton, who immediately agreed to help with the unanimous agreement of the HCP board.
Ronnie and board member Jim Gordon have offered their services to the school to direct and produce an all-school play, grades 9-12, with parts and jobs for any student who wants to participate.
With the support of principal Brian Jetter, a play was selected by Ronnie, Jim, and teachers Patsy Wilson, and Abigail Auldredge. The play, Get Bill Shakespeare Off the Stage, is a comedy concerning a new high school drama teacher whose students rebel against her decision to stage a series of Shakespearean scenes and attempt to sabotage the production. All ends well with the students gaining a new appreciation for Shakespeare as well as for their teacher.
Many students have already auditioned for the play and the cast will soon be announced. Both students and Players are excited about the production scheduled for spring and HCP hopes it will be the start of an on-going theater partnership with the Highlands High school.