Contact:
Theresa Loucks
Tel: 561-586-6169 (ext. 216)
E-mail: theresa@lakeworthplayhouse.org
LAKE WORTH PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS NEIL SIMON’S MASTERPIECE PLAY BILOXI BLUES
LAKE WORTH, Florida (February 16, 2011)
The Lake Worth Playhouse continues its 58th season with the second play in the Eugene trilogy by Neil Simon, BILOXI BLUES. The production features a small cast of Playhouse favorites together with young and new talent from throughout South Florida. Performances run from March 4th through March 19th, 2011 – with a Preview Night performance on March 3rd – on the stage of the Lake Worth Playhouse located at 713 Lake Avenue in downtown Lake Worth.
BILOXI BLUES is a semi-autobiographical play penned by Neil Simon. It is second in the Eugene trilogy which began with Brighton Beach Memoirs and ends with Broadway Bound. The story centers on a young Eugene who is drafted by the Army into WWII and sent from Brooklyn, New York to Biloxi, Mississippi for basic training. In a world foreign to Eugene, he learns to cope with fellow soldiers, falls in love, and loses his virginity in far from ideal circumstances. Of course, all the while he is under the watchful eye of a less than normal drill sergeant.
STOAN MASLEV will be reprising his role of Eugene from the 2009-2010 season performance of Brighton Beach Memoirs on the Lake Worth Playhouse stage. His performance was a smash hit and we eagerly anticipate his return.
BILOXI BLUES premiered on Broadway at the Neil Simon Theatre on March 28, 1985 under the director of Gene Sacks. Starring as Eugene was Matthew Broderick who reprised his beloved role in 1988 for the film adaption by the same name. The Broadway hit ran for 524 performances before closing on June 28, 1986. In its critically acclaimed run, it won three Tony Awards (Best Play, Best Performance by a Featured Actor, and Best Direction of a Play). Likewise, the film was highly praised by Vincent Canby of the New York Times, “…a very classy movie…” and Rita Kempley of the Washington Post, “…Nichols, Simon and especially Broderick find fresh threads in the old fatigues.”
The Playhouse production of BILOX BLUES is directed by Playhouse artistic director, Jodie Dixon-Mears. The eight member cast includes Michael DeGrotta as Sgt. Merwin J. Toomey, Richard Iverson as Arnold B. Epstein and Zack Myers as James J. Hennesey, Neleigh Olson as Rowena, David Pinson as Donald J. Carney, Eric Salas as Joseph T. Wykowski, Brett Warner as Roy W. Selridge, and Isabella Werber as Daisy Hannigan, with Stoan Maslev reprising his beloved role of Eugene M. Jerome from Brighton Beach Memoirs in the 2009-2010 Playhouse Season.
SCHEDULE
· Preview Night is Thursday, March 3 at 8:00 p.m.
· Opening Night is Friday, March 4 at 8:00 p.m.
· Evening Performances are on March 5, 10, 11, 12, 17, 18 and 19 at 8:00 p.m.
· Matinee Performances are on March 5, 6, 12, 13, 19 and 20 at 2:00 p.m.
· Dinner & Show Night is March 3 and includes a 6:00 p.m. pre-show dinner at Paradiso Italian Restaurant in downtown Lake Worth prior to the 8:00 p.m. performance. The all-inclusive dinner/show package price is $50 and includes a three-course meal plus premium seats for the preview performance.
TICKETS
· Individual show tickets are $25 and $29 for opening night and all regular performances.
· Preview Performance tickets are $22 and $25.
· Opening Night VIP tickets are $36 and include a pre-show reception.
· Dinner & Show tickets are $50 and include a pre-show three-course dinner.
· Subscriptions for Season 2010-2011 are also available.
All tickets and subscriptions can be purchased through the Lake Worth Playhouse Box Office at 561-586-6410 or online at lakeworthplayhouse.org.
ABOUT LAKE WORTH PLAYHOUSE
Lake Worth Playhouse is a non-profit community theatre with a diverse array of offerings, including award-winning dramas, comedies, musicals, area premieres, Broadway favorites, children’s shows, ballets and operas on film, live concerts, improv comedy and alternative programming. In addition to its main stage theatrical fare, the Playhouse presents year-round independent and foreign films in the Stonzek Theatre, an intimate black-box style theatre equipped with a large viewing screen and high-definition projection. The Playhouse is proud to offer a variety of educational programs for adults and children, as well as community outreach initiatives that bring cultural programs into the neighborhoods of underserved youth and also make theatre available free of charge for disadvantaged citizens in the community.
The Lake Worth Playhouse 58th season concludes with a bang with Annie (April 15 – May 1).
LOCATION
Lake Worth Playhouse is located at 713 Lake Avenue in Downtown Lake Worth. It is situated on the south side of Lake Avenue two blocks east of Dixie Highway. Free, well-lighted parking is available on Lake Avenue and surrounding side streets, with free parking lots located behind the Playhouse.