Mary Baldwin University Theatre presents the premiere of The Luck Eater. The play, which runs May 10-14, is a romantic comedy written and directed by internationally recognized playwright Todd Ristau.
One of Ristau’s plays, Great Balls of Fire, has been performed in London’s West End. Ristau says you should come see his most recent work “because life is a sexy, funny gamble.”
The Luck Eater features a live jazz band and is set in a casino. The play, however, in the words of its author, “is not a play about a gambler. It’s about taking a gamble. It’s a celebration of transition and being ready to take the risks that will move you through it to the jackpot beyond.”
Christina Sayer plays the cynical and worldly-wise singer Sophie St. Claire. Myrtle O’Neill, played by Amy Jordan, is Sophie’s cranky, kindred spirit. Anja Stickley plays the hopelessly romantic waitress Mimi Jones. Sam Jackson, the stranger from ‘back east,’ is enacted by Ross Laguzza. Local actor Frank Albrecht will play Frank Deetz the wry bartender.
Supporting actors include R.C. Williams as Darlene Melman, Dylan Grey as Simon, Ariel Howard as Lydia, Lily Kerrigan as Gambler #1, and Jamie Johnson as Gambler #2.
The public is invited Wednesday-Saturday, May 10?13 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 14 at 2 p.m. at the college’s Fletcher Collins Theatre. Tickets may be purchased at the box office Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. or reserved by credit card by calling (540) 887-7189 during regular box office hours.