‘Farndale’ pokes gentle fun at amateur theater
Published 12:01 am Friday, October 21, 2011
“The Haunted Through Lounge and Recessed Dining Nook at Farndale Castle:” The Phoenix Theatre presents this perennial community theater comedy — which promises to be a side-splitting good time, what with a talented director at the helm and starring one of the funniest local female actors around.
Of course, it’s up to you to pitch in as well.
Part of the shtick of “Farndale” is that the audience takes part in the show, too, as spectators at the yearly theatrical production by the Farndale Avenue Townswomen’s Guild.
This show within a show has the good-intentioned members of the Guild — a dedicated bunch of women — facing several challenges while trying to present a play about a mysterious castle.
Think of everything that might go awry with an amateur drama troupe, from prop and costume failure to the painfully obvious lack of men to play the male roles.
The Guild ladies proceed then to make a spectacle of themselves while attempting to produce a show about mystery and mayhem. The combination is expected to bring down the house, “or at least a substantial part of the set,” according to press material about the show.
The show will be directed by the consistently talented Eric Lewis and stars Phoenix artistic director and local favorite Melanie Calderwood. Others in the cast are Susan Connors, Nate Dewey, Wendy Enden, Lorrie Fargo and Renee Gilbert.
“The Haunted Through Lounge and Recessed Dining Nook at Farndale Castle” open at 8 p.m. Friday at the Phoenix Theatre, 9673 Firdale Ave., Edmonds. Shows are 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Nov. 13.
Tickets are $18.50 and $15.50. Call 206-533-2000 or go to brownpapertickets.com.
“Double Indemnity:” This is a world premiere of the film noir classic that concludes ACT Theatre’s 2011 season with a lusty thrill.
The show has been adapted by Seattle favorites David Pichette and R. Hamilton Wright with direction by artistic director Kurt Beattie.
Pichette said “Double Indemnity” fits our modern world because we face a national crisis “where again, we’ve watched malfeasance on a level that had been unthinkable.”
In this crime drama, the scene is set in Los Angeles in the 1930s where a discontented insurance agent, Walter Huff, is sucked into material and sexual temptations he cannot resist, forcing him to embark on a journey to escape his life, according to press material about the show.
This look at Depression-era America was inspired by a famous crime novel adapted into a film that was directed by Billy Wilder from a screenplay by Wilder and Raymond Chandler. The film, which starred Barbara Stanwyck, Fred MacMurray and Edward G. Robinson, received seven Academy Award nominations after it was released in 1944.
“Double Indemnity” opens with previews at 8 p.m. Friday at ACT Theatre, 700 Union St., Seattle. Shows are at various times through Nov. 20.
Tickets start at $37.50. Call 206-292-7676 or go to www.acttheatre.org.
“An Evening with Monique Truong:” Hedgebrook’s executive director Amy Wheeler will interview author Monique Truong and local actors will stage readings from Truong’s works on Wednesday.
Truong was born in Saigon, South Vietnam. Her second novel, “Bitter in the Mouth,” is about a young woman’s search for identity and family as she uncovers the secrets of her past. In the book, Linda lives in a small town in North Carolina but believes she can taste words, which have the power to disrupt, dismay or delight, according to press material about this event.
The book was named 25 Best Fiction Books of 2010 by Barnes and Noble.
Hedgebrook writer’s retreat and Whidbey Island Center for the Arts launch their 2011/2012 Literary Series with this event.
“An Evening with Monique Truong” is at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Whidbey Island Center for the Arts, 565 Camano Ave., Langley.
Tickets are $8. Call 360-221-8268 or 800-638-7631 or go to www.WICAonline.com.
Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.
