The Mary Baldwin University Theatre Department kicks off its season with the first production of the year: Present Laughter. Performances will be held in the Fletcher Collins Theatre in Deming Hall on Wednesday, September 29 through Sunday, October 3. Wednesday through Saturday performances begin at 8:00 p.m., and the Sunday performance begins at 2:00 p.m. Ticket prices are $4 for students and senior citizens and $6 for adults. For ticket information and credit card reservations, call (540) 887-7189, Monday through Friday, 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Present Laughter, written by Noel Coward and directed by Terry Southerington, professor of theatre, is a sophisticated and stylish comedy set in the late 1930’s with an elegant group of characters that will have everyone laughing.
Garry Essendine, the famous British actor, is planning his tour in Africa. Meanwhile, it seems that all the young ladies he meets are falling for him. The society starlet, the aspiring playwright, even his best friend’s wife is after poor Garry, who is trying to keep everyone happy. In the fast-paced game of musical doors, who knows how Garry will escape? A wonderful supporting cast helps the confusion reach almost a panic level.
Charles Culbertson returns to the Mary Baldwin stage as Garry Essendine, opposite Bonnie Morrison as Garry’s wife Liz. John Wells, professor of sociology, and Robert Allen, associate professor of music, along with Ashley Hefner, are the Essendine’s business partners, and McKinley Greer and Gettys Kobiashvili make up the eccentric house staff. The cast is rounded off by Norah Fick as the seductress, Anna Bullard as the starlet, Khara Merritt as the intense young playwright and Jamie Johans as the effusive society matron.