Flights of Fancy Soars at Stage 3
"Lettice and Lovage" is an "Enchantment
and Delight"
Mark your calendars! Get the car gassed up! We're transforming
the theatre into both a stately 16th century English manor
and a basement London apartment overflowing with hopes and
dreams and kicking off the summer with a treat you won't
want to miss!
Start with "The Odd Couple", mix in a heaping
measure of Don Quixote, sprinkle liberally with plenty
of Lucy and Ethel and you have a pretty good idea of
what's in store for you at Stage 3 Theatre Company's
production of "Lettice and Lovage" opening
Friday, June 27.
The New York Post called "Lettice and Lovage" "An
evening of enchantment and delight". The Sunday
Express named it "One of the sharpest, wittiest,
most passionate and elegant plays of the year".
Penned by Peter Shaffer, winner of multiple Tony Awards
and author of "Amadeus" and "Equus", "Lettice
and Lovage" is the highly intelligent, raucously
funny and deeply moving story of two totally disparate
women who, against all odds, become the best of friends
and embark on a crusade to change the world.
Shaffer, who is famous for unleashing some of the most
sparkling torrents of dialog on the English-speaking
stage is at his most accessible in this offbeat comedy
about the triumph of the human spirit over a bland corporate
world.
|
The
Critics Loved it!!
Modesto Bee says: "...
Funny, smart and thoroughly enjoyable. ...Justly
deserved a standing ovation on opening night
Friday..."
Lisa Milligan
Union Democrat says: "The
pace is lively, the setting is excellent
and the acting is divine. Their elocution,
facial expressions and comedic timing are
perfect..."
Diane Nelson
|
|
Life-loving Lettice Duffet, played by Turlock actress Danelle Dupre,
is a tour guide at Fustian House, the single most boring historical
site in England. Nothing ever happened there. Well, almost nothing.
Queen Elizabeth I came close to tripping on her gown once. Lettice
single-handedly rewrites and embroiders history until the little
gown-tripping incident becomes an epic saga with the fate of the
world hanging in the balance. Her superiors begin to wonder why Fustian
House has become the most popular tour on the circuit.
Enter her arch-nemesis, Lotte Schoen, portrayed by Stockton actress,
Bonnie Bryson. Lotte is not only Lettice' immediate supervisor but
the ultimate bureaucrat. She arrives to fire Lettice and comic sparks
fly as these polar opposites clash. The unlikely duo incredibly form
a close bond of comradeship marred only by, among other things, a
slight mishap while re-enacting the beheading of Charles I.
The cast is completed by Renee Grant as Lotte's timid secretary,
Mrs. Framer and Kevin Cline as the blustering attorney, Mr. Bardolph.
Stage 3 favorite Stephen Daly performs a cameo as "The Surly
Man".
Spearheading the production is director Maryann Curmi. She is no
stranger to comedy, having helmed several of Stage 3's most successful
productions. Says Curmi "I was mesmerized by the exuberance
of the language and uniqueness of the comedy. Shaffer is a genius
in the way he pulls two contrasting characters together. I want
to be Lettice when I grow up."
"Lettice and Lovage" manages to be both wacky and literate,
comic and compelling. Stage 3 continues its tradition of presenting
unique, thoughtful and meaningful theatre to our region.
" Lettice and Lovage" will run from June 27- July 27. Performances
are Thursday-Sunday with the exception of July 3rd and 4th. Curtain times
are 7 pm, Thursday, 8 pm Friday and Saturday and 2 pm Sunday. Ticket prices are
$10
Thursday, $14 Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Senior Sundays are $10. Students
always $8. Call 209 536 1778 for reservations and information
|
