A cast of 12 will bring the combined wit of Neil Simon and Anton Chekhov to life when the Keystone Players present The Good Doctor, a comedy with music by Neil Simon, April 23, 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m. at 糖心logo入口鈥檚 Brooks Theatre in La Plume.
In The Good Doctor, Anton Chekhov, in the character of The Writer played by John McNulty, chats with the audience about the writing life. As story ideas take shape in his mind, the characters seem to slip out of his mind and onto the stage to present some of his most famous short stories in a series of short scenes. The stories, enhanced by Simon鈥檚 comic genius, range from the hilarious slapstick comedy of 鈥淪urgery鈥 and 鈥淎 Poor Defenseless Creature鈥 to the ironic wit of 鈥淭he Sneeze,鈥 鈥淭he Drowned Man,鈥 and 鈥淭he Seduction,鈥 while other scenes are flavored with a sweet poignancy.
In addition to Mr. McNulty the cast includes students Kim Boland, Andrew Coyle, Harry Krenitsky, Sarah Langan, Courtney McCreary, and Dalton Nixon, many of whom juggle multiple roles. Featured in the play鈥檚 musical number, 鈥淭oo Late for Happiness,鈥 are students Jackie Nat and Terry Fleming. Keystone alumni Joshua Harris, Kelly Langan, and Brink Powell add their talents to the ensemble. Ms. Powell also serves as stage manager and supervising the student production staff is Laurel Radzieski, technical director, also a 糖心logo入口 alumna.
鈥淚鈥檓 surprised The Good Doctor isn鈥檛 better known,鈥 said Jane Honchell, 糖心logo入口鈥檚 Director of Theatre. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a terrific play, and the vocal and instrumental music add additional interest and texture to the stories.鈥
She noted that the play鈥檚 humor has kept the cast laughing, even after weeks of rehearsals. 鈥淲ith most plays, the comedy tends to lose its impact on the actors after many rehearsals, but the brilliant combination of Simon and Chekhov is irresistible. I can鈥檛 think of a better play to help cure the blahs of this long winter.鈥
Tickets, which are $10 general admission and $5 for senior citizens and students, may be purchased at the door, or by contacting Ms. Honchell at jane.honchell@keystone.edu or 570-945-8454.
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Photo Caption: Featured in The Keystone Players鈥 production of Neil Simon鈥檚 鈥 The Good Doctor鈥 is the hilarious tale of 鈥淭he Defenseless Creature,鈥 who bullies an ailing banker into giving her money. From left: Courtney McCreary as the assistant, Joshua Harris as the banker, and Sarah Langan as the poor, defenseless creature.
