Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Two pay-what-you-can previews this Thursday

By Shawn Parikh

Before their newest shows officially open, 2 theater companies are offering audiences a chance to preview the show at a pay-what-you-can price this Thursday, April 3. One is a comedy-drama while the other is a murder mystery, so take your pick.

Contemporary Theatre of Dallas is presenting Marvin's Room. The play finds both humor and the pathos in the plight of a family confronting illness, death and estrangement. Bessie, a single Florida woman in her 40s, is sole caregiver to her bedridden father, Marvin, and her infirm and slightly demented aunt, Ruth. But when Bessie herself is diagnosed with cancer, she must seek help—and perhaps a bone marrow transplant—from her long-absent sister Lee, who abandoned the family when Marvin became ill. So Lee and her sons—institutionalized delinquent Hank and bookish underachiever Charlie—travel to Florida, leading to an intensely awkward family reunion that reveals both long-standing grievances and, ultimately, the overriding power of love.

Directed by Cynthia Hestand, the cast features Cindee Mayfield, Sue Loncar, Susan McMath Platt, Matt Savins, Taubert Nadalini, Nye Cooper, Lorna Woodford, and Reg Platt. The play officially runs from April 4 - 27. Purchase tickets online or by calling 214-828-0094.

Rover Dramawerks in Plano will be performing The Runner Stumbles. A young nun has died under mysterious circumstances, and Father Rivard has been charged with her murder. Interrogations, testimony, and flashbacks reveal that their relationship was doomed from the start, but not until the explosive and surprising climax of the play is the full extent of their sacrifice made clear and the identity of the murderer revealed.

Directed by Jason Rice, the cast includes Gary Anderson, Amanda Elrod, Ron Eubanks, Tina Kane, Heather McCormick, Julie Osborne, Michael Sturlin, Jarod Warren, and Corey Whaley. The show officially runs from April 4 - 26. Purchase tickets online or by calling 972-849-0358.

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