Rep, Village Players bring on the laughter

9/10/2009
BY NANCIANN CHERRY
BLADE STAFF WRITER

The Village Players and the Toledo Repertoire Theatre open their seasons tomorrow with music and laughs.

The Players are presenting Marshal Karp's Squabbles, which director Wes Skinner calls a family-situational comedy in the same vein as last year's production of Never Too Late.

The play abounds with innuendo and verbal zingers, keeping the laughs coming, he says.

In the play, Jerry and Alice Sloan, a jingle-writer and a lawyer, respectively, share their home with Alice's father, Abe Dreyfus, a retired New York City cab driver. When Jerry's mother, Mildred, loses her home in a fire, the Sloans invite her to stay. Capping off the situation: Alice learns she's pregnant.

Much of the humor comes from the fact that Abe and Mildred don't like each other, and therein lies a treat, Skinner says. Those roles are played by long-married couple and Players veterans Norb and Jean Mills.

"Oh my gosh, they're having so much fun playing against each other," he says. "In fact, the whole cast is interesting. Matt Richardson, who usually plays in musicals, is doing a great job as Jerry, and Clara Engel has a nice stage presence as Alice."

Rounding out the cast are Tom Wagner as Hector Lopez, the handyman who spends most of his time in the bathroom, Paul Palmisano as Abe's friend Sol, and Olivia Killam as Mrs. Fisher.

The Village Players opens "Squabbles" at 8 p.m. tomorrow in the theater at 2740 Upton Ave. Other performances are at 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays through Sept. 26 with a matinee at 2 p.m. Sept. 20. Tickets are $14 for adults and $12 for seniors and students. Information: 419-472-6817.

A celebration of friendship will hit the stage tomorrow when the Toledo Repertoire Theatre presents Hats! The Musical.

The show by Anthony and Marcia Milgrom Dodge takes its inspiration from the Red Hat Society. The main character, MaryAnne, is on the cusp of her 50th birthday and is not happy about it. MaryAnne's mother and her five friends set out to show MaryAnne, through story and song, that although there may be sadness ahead, there is much to celebrate as well.

The cast comprises Courtney Altenburg, Sue Dessner, Carol Ann Erford, Madge Levinson, Dana Pilrose, Marge Sudheimer, and Dottie Zimmerman.

Brandi Shepard directs, and Linda Sankovich is the music director.

"Hats! The Musical" is scheduled at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Sept. 26 with additional performances at 8 p.m. Sept. 24 and 2:30 p.m. Sept. 20 and 27 in the Toledo Repertoire Theatre, 16 10th St. Tickets are $22 for adults, $20 for seniors, $10 for students 13 and older, and $5 for those 12 and younger. Information: 419-243-9277.

Contact Nanciann Cherry at: ncherry@theblade.com

or 419-724-6130.