***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
ACE presents the Neil Simon Comedy, Chapter Two.
Eugene , Oregon , USA ' March 5, 2005
CONTACT: Jim Roberts - (541) 683-4368 - cabaret1@aol.com
Actors Cabaret of Eugene is proud to announce the opening of Neil Simon's
comedy Chapter Two. Maggie Tryk will direct the four-member cast. The show
will open on March 11, 2005 at the Actors Cabaret Annex and play for ten
performances over four weekends.
THE STORY:
Based on part of Neil Simon's own life Chapter Two mixes
laughter with heartache. George Schneider, a writer whose wife has recently
died, returns to a lonely apartment. His younger brother Leo, a theatrical
press agent and born matchmaker, tries to snap George out of his emotional tailspin by supplying him with unwanted and unsuccessful dates. Then Leo
comes up with Jennie Malone and she's a winner. Still it's a rocky road
ahead for the not so young lovers. George struggles with contradictory
impulses to embrace a new life but remain faithful to the old. George and
Jennie stumble on, tripping over George's pent up emotions and Jennie's
wariness born of her recent marital fiasco. In a hilarious, farcical
subplot, Leo has a fling with Faye, Jennie's dizzy and neurotic married
friend.
QUOTABLES:
"Sure smash for Broadway." - Variety
"Lovely whimsical and touching and . . . always funny. . . . Most of the
time downright hilarious." - N.Y. Post
A MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR:
Neil Simon has had dozens of plays and nearly as many films produced. He
has received more Academy and Tony nominations than any other writer and is
the only playwright to have had four Broadway productions running
simultaneously. But his greatest success is in his unique way of creating
humor from the lives and troubles of everyday people. Actor Jack Lemon said"Neil has the ability to write characters, even the leading characters that
we're supposed to root for, that are absolutely flawed. They have foibles.
They have faults. But, they are human beings. They are not all bad or all
good; they are people we know."
Chapter Two is one of Simon's most autobiographical plays and is by turns
hilarious and poignant. It tells the story of a shy New York novelist who
fears he'll never love again after the death of his first wife. He meets a
smart, gutsy, recently-divorced actress and overnight a passionate, witty
romance unfolds. The play is firmly set in the mid-seventies with many
references that recall the flavor of that time, but the themes it explores
are timeless.
I chose this play because it is at once funny, romantic and painfully real.
It shows two people who despite fresh wounds from their first marriages are
still willing to enter an emotional minefield to find love again. I believe
that audiences will enjoy watching our talented cast bring these very human
characters to life on stage. AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY:
Simon, Neil (Marvin Neil Simon), 1927,American playwright, b. New York City.
His plays, nearly all of them popular, if not always critical successes, are
comedies treating recognizable aspects of modern middle-class life.
Particularly adept at portraying the middle-aged, Simon is a master
joke-smith who builds up his characters through funny lines rather than
plot, although he does often attempt serious themes. The Gingerbread Lady (1970), for example, deals honestly with alcoholism, and his Pulitzer Prize
winning Lost in Yonkers (1991) treats the anguish of parental rejection. His
many other plays include Come Blow Your Horn (1961), Barefoot in the Park (1963), The Odd Couple (1965), Plaza Suite (1968) , The Prisoner of Second
Avenue (1971), The Good Doctor (1973), God's Favorite (1974), Brighton Beach
Memoirs (1983), Biloxi Blues (1984), Broadway Bound (1986), Laughter on the
23d Floor (1993), and 45 Seconds from Broadway (2001). Many of his plays
have been adapted into films, and Simon has written numerous screenplays.
FAST FACTS:
WHO: Actors Cabaret of Eugene will present the comedy Chapter Two by Neil
Simon. Directed by Maggie Tryk
WHEN: March 11, 12, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, and April 1 & 2, 2005.
All Fridays and Saturdays are at 8:00 PM
Sunday Matinee, March 20 at 2:00 PM
Thrifty Thursday, March 17 at 8:00 PM
WHERE: All performances at Actors Cabaret Annex, 39 West 10th Ave.
(10th & Willamette St .)
TICKETS:
Tickets are priced at $12.00 Reserved Seating, The tickets for Thrifty
Thursday, March 17, 2005 at 8:00 PM are all priced at $7.00 Reserved
Seating. Tickets for the Sunday Matinee on March 20, 2005, are all $10.00
Reserved Seating.
Tickets may be reserved by calling (541) 683-4368 or by purchasing them at
the box office at 996 Willamette Street in Eugene Tuesday through Saturday,
11:00 am to 3:00 PM. ACE also offers group discounts and special performance
opportunities for large groups. The twenty-sixth season at Actors Cabaret of Eugene is made possible in part
by a grant from Lane Arts Council with support from City of Eugene Cultural
Services.
KMGE, Magic 94.5 is the media sponsor for our fall season.
To schedule interviews or photo or video coverage, please contact Jim
Roberts at Actors Cabaret of Eugene . Phone: (541) 683-4368. Street Address:
996 Willamette Street , Eugene , OR 97401-3134 .
WHO'S WHO IN THE CAST:
Faye ............................... Erica Jean
George .............................. Tony McCloud
Jenny ............................... Jamar Burke
Leo .......................... Dale Flynn |
