Pair of comedies to close out high school theater season in Southern Indiana

Clark County

Discussion

April 17, 2009

Providence, New Albany shows this weekend

By CHRIS MORRIS The News and Tribune Fri Apr 17, 2009, 01:41 PM EDT

A pair of local high schools are planning to close out the theater season with a pair of comedies.

Providence High School’s annual spring musical, “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum,” opens tonight with the premiere. The show continues at 12:30 p.m. Sunday and will run four dates next week.

The New Albany High School theater department will showcase “American Dreamers” at 7:30 p.m. tonight and at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

The sluggish economy played a factor in both shows. Providence theater Director Dale Durham said he wanted to give people something to laugh about during a time when many have lost jobs. New Albany has rolled back ticket prices to 1987 when “American Dreamers” was first produced. Tickets are $7 for adults and $4 for students.

“I think with the condition of the economy, we wanted to do something light-hearted. It’s been a tough year,” said Durham. “This has a lot of slap-stick comedy in it. It’s very funny.”

Providence High School

Tonight’s annual premiere will kick off the spring musical. Tickets are $100 for the catered event.

Durham said the musical/comedy was first performed on Broadway in the 1960s and was revised in 1996.

Durham, in his 19th year as theater director, said his students are having fun with the show.

“Some kids are more talented with comedy roles, and others with straight roles,” he said.

The spring musical and premiere date back more than three decades. Durham said the event helps fund the theater department.

“We get a lot of Providence supporters that night. It certainly helps the department,” he said.

The show will be the fourth spring musical to be performed in the Robinson Theatre.

After tonight, show times are 12:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $30 for the brunch or $14 for just the show. The musical will be shown at 8 p.m. April 23 to 25 and at 2:30 p.m. April 26. Tickets are available at the box office.

New Albany High School

Many of the seniors who have been involved in theater over the past four years will be featured in “American Dreamers.”

Those seniors are Sydney Magers, Hilary Reinen, Hanna Lohmeyer, Chelsea Rogers, Mary Dohoney, Kirste Berte, Dishmond Fields, Brad Murphy, Chloe Sharp and Trista Tankersley.

The play centers around the peaceful life of a St. Louis family in the present day that gets interrupted by the return of the family patriarch, who comes back home with two suitcases — one with all his clothes, and the other with $500,000 in cash. Because he discovers a way to channel those he admires, the household gets visited and revisited by interesting historical figures.

New Albany theater Director David Longest wrote the script as a part of a Lilly grant in 1987 when the play was first produced.

Call 812-542-2290 for tickets.

SO YOU KNOW

• Providence High School’s “A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Forum” show times are 8 p.m. tonight, 12:30 p.m. Sunday, 8 p.m. April 23-25 and 2:30 p.m. April 26.

• New Albany High School’s “American Dreamers” will be performed at 7:30 p.m. tonight, and 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday.

LOOK FOR IT

• More plays are on the horizon this spring in Southern Indiana. Be sure to check out the Curtain Call column in Sunday’s Spectrum section for more on area theater events.