May 2012 - The Gingerbread Lady
October 2012 - Don't Dress for Dinner
May 2012 - The Gingerbread Lady
In the 1970's, Evy Meara, a 40 something year old nightclub singer, and a recovering alcoholic, is welcomed home from rehab by her loyal friends and teenage daughter. Evy's rehab was precipitated by a disastrous relationship with a guitar player ten years her junior. Evy's closest male friend is Jimmy Perry, a forty-year-old gay actor who is still waiting for his big break. Her best girlfriend is Toby, an ageing glamour queen who can't seem to hang onto her husband. And Evy's ex-boyfriend is a thoughtless freeloader who tries to weasel his way back into her affections when he is dumped by his latest 18 year old conquest. The only relatively well-adjusted person in this play is Evy's sweet and loving daughter, Polly.
Neil Simon is the master of the one line gag and the first act of "The Gingerbread Lady" is rife with them. We never consciously notice the clever character development because we're always laughing too hard. Simon has crafted a play full of the most lovable losers you'll ever want to meet. The second act, however, takes a more serious turn as Simon explores the real problems associated with Evy's alcoholism. As we soon see, living with a drinker is not all fun and games -- not for her family and friends, nor for herself.
When Elaine Stritch first read this play she swore that Simon had written it about her. In fact, a handful of notoriously colourful actresses have all claimed that this play was modelled on their not so "model" lives.
Not unlike the ginger snap, this is a sweet little play with a bit of a bite to it !
“He has combined an amusing comedy with the atmosphere of great sadness. His characteristic wit and humour are at their brilliant best, and his serious story of lost misfits can often be genuinely and deeply touching” ~ N.Y. Post
“Mr. Simon’s play is as funny as ever the customary avalanche of hilarity, and
landslide of pure unbuttoned joy” ~ N.Y. Times
Written By Neil Simon
Directed by Andrew Clark
Performance Dates:
Thursday 17th May 2012 to Saturday 19th May 2012 8.00pm
Thursday 24th May 2012 to Saturday 26th May 2012 8.00pm
Saturday 26th May 2012 2.00pm
Preview Wednesday 16th May 2012 8.00pm
Domain Theatre
Marion Cultural Centre
Cnr Diagonal and Sturt Roads (Adjacent Westfield Shoppingtown Marion)
Oaklands Park
The Cast:
Evy Meara Jo St Clair
Jimmy Perry Aldo Longobardi
Toby Landau Rachel Burfield
Polly Meara Carla Hardie
Lou Tanner Luke Budgen
Manuel Ben Todd
October 2012 - Don't Dress for Dinner
In a stylish converted French farmhouse, Bernard is hoping to entertain his chic, Parisian mistress, Suzy, for the weekend. He has arranged to send his wife, Jacqueline, off to her mother and has even invited along his best friend, Robert as a suitable alibi. It's foolproof. What could possibly go wrong?
Well supposing Robert turns up without knowing the real reason why he's been invited? What if Robert and Jacqueline are secret lovers? Or how about the cordon bleu cook that Bernard has hired to provide gourmet delights, being mistaken for the mistress and the mistress who can't cook? Mix these ingredients and you have the perfect recipe for an evening of hilarious confusion as Bernard and Robert improvise at breakneck speed.
Don't Dress for Dinner was a smash-hit in Paris under its original title Pyjamas pour Six, where it ran for over two years. Robin Hawdon's English adaptation played to critical acclaim in London in 1991.
'Hurtling along at the speed of light, Marc Camoletti's breathtaking farce is a near faultless piece of theatrical invention. Within seconds we are drawn into a delicious web of marital treachery which accelerates with classic symmetry for an all-star denouement.' The Guardian
'... a nifty comedy farce about double adultery and gourmet cooking ... I can't think of a better way of forgetting the recession.' Sunday Times
Written By Marc Camoletti
Adapted By Robin Hawdon
Directed by John Graham
Performance Dates:
Thursday 18th October 2012 to Saturday 20th October 2012 8.00pm
Thursday 25th October 2012 to Saturday 27th October 2012 8.00pm
Saturday 27th October 2012 2.00pm
Preview Wednesday 17th October 2012 8.00pm
Domain Theatre
Marion Cultural Centre
Cnr Diagonal and Sturt Roads (Adjacent Westfield Shoppingtown Marion)
Oaklands Park
