BY KAREN BOSSICK
“Life Sucks.” Or does it?
Don’t let the title of Company of Fools’ upcoming play dissuade you.
“The play really shows that life doesn’t suck,” said Chris Carwithen. “Yes, life isn’t easy all of the time. But the overall message by the end of the play is incredibly positive “
“Don’t limit yourself by the title of the play. Come see,” added Jana Arnold.
Carwithen and Arnold are two of the seven thespians who will bring to life American playwright Aaron Posner’s irreverent modern-day telling of Anton Chekhov’s classic “Uncle Vanya” for two weeks this July.
The play opens Thursday, July 6, and runs through Wednesday, July 19, at the Liberty Theatre in Hailey.
The comedy opens with a group of old friends, ex-lovers and estranged family members gathering for a weekend. And, to hear them tell it, life sucks for each of them.
They know the pain of aging, the agony of unrequited love, the burnout of being overworked and the frustration of getting what they thought they wanted and finding out it’s not what they really wanted.
They grapple with these questions. They grapple with each other. And they even bust through the fourth wall, bringing the audience into their ponderings on occasion.
“As Vanya says, it’s a story about love and longing. It’s a story about how we keep going,” said Co-Director Ilana Becker, who assumed the role of the Fools associate director this past winter.
“It’s very, very funny,” said actor Jana Arnold.
“Very funny,” added actor Denise Simone. “Aaron Posner has a hip contemporary ear. He takes Chekhov’s play and condenses it and thrusts it forward. It’s like riding a bike downhill and crashing over the handlebars. But in the end, it’s raw and honest. It asks you to lean forward and ask questions about life.”
The play, which launches Company of Fools’ 21st season, was to have been directed by the Fools’ Director John Glenn, who died unexpectedly of complications resulting from surgery on June 9. But his fingerprints are all over this production—so much so, that the cast chose to include his name in the playbill as co-director with Ilana Becker.
Not only did Glenn choose the play but he loved its focus on family, whether it’s the family you’re born into or the family cobbled together.
“Certainly, the message of the play is more poignant because of our loss. But we saw the play as a celebration—what better way to celebrate John’s life,” said Simone.
Glenn worked with Joe Lavigne on the set, pushing for a minimalist one. Lavigne said he went back to the play’s roots for inspiration as he developed an “odd, impressionist, deconstructed home.”
His work evokes the Russian impressionist painters , as he shows what love and longing means visually.
The play features five Company of Fools veterans: Andrew Alburger, Jana Arnold, Chris Carwithen, Joel Vilinsky and Denise Simone. And it features two newcomers from New York: Cleo Gray and Neysa Lozano.
“I had worked with Cleo before,” said Becker. “And, when John saw Neysa’s audition, he cried.”
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: “Life Sucks”
WHEN: 7 p.m. July 6, 9, 10, 12-13, 16 and 18-19. 8 p.m. July 7-8 and 14-15.
Tickets: $35 for members of the Sun Valley Center for the Arts and $40 for non-members, $35 for seniors 62 and older and $15 for students. Tickets are available at www.sunvalleycenter.org or by calling 208-578-9122.
SPECIAL DEALS: Opening night on Thursday, July 6, is Pay What You Feel. The ten front-row seats are $10 each. Saturday, July 8, is Girls Night Out with special treats for the gals. And groups of eight or more get tickets for $35 each.
BACKSTAGE TOUR/POST-SHOW CHAT BACK: Join the gang following the Sunday, July 9, show for a free tour behind the scenes and discussion about the show.
WHAT’S MORE: The play is rated PG 13 given its sexual themes and strong language.
CELEBRATION OF JOHN GLENN:
A celebration of John Glenn’s life will be held at 5:30 p.m. Monday, July 3, at the Community Campus. The community is welcome to attend.