by Christopher Durang
May 1-16, 2009
Performance Dates:
5/1 (Fri) | 5/2 (Sat) | 5/8 (Fri) | 5/9 (Sat)
5/11 (Mon–Pay What You Can) | 5/14 (Thur)
5/15 (Fri) | 5/16 (Sat)
TICKETS: $20
Village Church Arts
130 East Juneau | Milwaukee
Reservations: (414) 332-3963
All performances are at 8:00 p.m.
Direction
Maureen Kilmurry
Featuring
James Boland | Ben George
Robert Hirschi | Christine Horgen
Melissa Keith | Marty McNamme
Tamara Martinsek | Shannon Nettesheim
Sonia Rosenthal
Stage Management
Christine Daleness | Megan Peterson
Betty looks forward to a relaxing vacation at the ocean. But her friend Trudy chatters incessantly; and then there are her other summer share housemates—hunky Buck, who’s pathologically hitting on women all the time; and sweet, withdrawn Keith, who carries a shovel and a mysterious hatbox and just may be a serial killer . . . and there seems to be a laugh track coming thru the walls?!?
Durang Brings a "Bit of Bobbit"
to Betty’s Summer Vacation
Windfall Theatre invites you to join us on a nutty/merry dark ride with the Milwaukee premiere of Christopher Durang’s Obie Award-winning Betty’s Summer Vacation. Christopher Durang is a master of dark comedy. In established works such as Sister Mary Ignatius Explains It All For You, Beyond Therapy, and Baby with the Bathwater, Durang mixes humor with pathos while making audiences intrigued and amused at the same time. Betty’s Summer Vacation is no different. Durang’s tale of a trip gone bad is a life lesson straddling the fine line between the humorous and the macabre.
Looking for a little rest and time by herself, Betty rents a summer share at the beach. But Betty’s luck turns to delicious lunacy when this sensible Everywoman gets drawn into the chaotic world of some very unsavory housemates—her friend Trudy, who talks too much; the lewd, semi-naked Buck, who tries to have sex with everyone; and Keith, a serial killer who hides in his room with a mysterious hatbox. With sand between her toes, walking a thin line between sanity and survival, poor Betty will leave her summer vacation more terrorized than tan.
Durang explains, “The theme of the play is, basically, the ’tabloid-ization’ of American culture—how in the 90s in particular, human nature’s interest in horror and gossip combined with television’s need to hook viewers, and the result was we all fell into the habit of looking at human tragedy and disgusting behavior as a fascinating kind of ‘mini-series’ for our delectation.” The Clarence Thomas-Anita Hill hearings (important, but also riveting as a “mini-series”); the Menendez brothers killing their parents and claiming they were sexually abused; Lorena Bobbit cutting off her husband’s penis and throwing it into a field (where it was found—and John Wayne Bobbit, with his re-attached member, later made a porno film—what a great couple!); the O.J. trial; various scandals regarding Michael Jackson; and of course, the extremely riveting coverage of the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal, full of lies, betrayal (that scary Linda Tripp), sex (of course) and all presented 24 hours a day with music and beating drums presenting The Presidency in Crisis! as if it was some sort of TV news equivalent of Ben-Hur. Which it was.
Christopher Durang’s take on tabloid fodder and our attraction to it resonates with today’s boom of reality television and court trials. So, you won’t want to miss this wildly irreverent take on our media addictions gone awry.
Guarantee your seats to an unforgettable theatrical adventure—
Call Today!
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
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