Lincoln, New Hampshire – May 2, 2016 – AR Gurney’s The Dining Room this May 13-15 at Jean’s Playhouse
The Dining Room is a richly humorous theatrical tour de force in which eight performers portray an array of diverse characters as they delineate the dying lifestyle of wealthy WASPdom, and the now neglected room which was once a vital center of family life.
The play is set in the dining room of a typical well-to-do household, the place where the family assembled daily for breakfast, dinner and any and all special occasions. The action is a mosaic of interrelated scenes—some funny, some touching, some rueful—which, taken together, create an in-depth portrait of a vanishing species: the upper-middle-class WASP. The actors change roles, personalities and ages with virtuoso skill as they portray a wide variety of characters, from little boys to stern grandfathers, and from giggling teenage girls to Irish housemaids.
Each vignette introduces a new set of people and events; a father lectures his son on grammar and politics; a boy returns from boarding school to discover his mother’s infidelity; a senile grandmother doesn’t recognize her own sons at Thanksgiving dinner; a daughter, her marriage in shambles, pleads futilely to return home. Dovetailing swiftly and smoothly, the varied scenes coalesce, ultimately, into a theatrical experience of exceptional range, compassionate humor and abundant humanity.
Directed by Amanda Pawlik (Manchester), with costumes by Lori McGinley (Franklin), properties by Chrissy Howe (North Conway), lights by Kyle Trumble (Lincoln), stage management by Chrissy Howe and Robert Wetherell (Lincoln). With performances by Daniel Adams (Littleton), David Bownes (Laconia), Jim Gocha (Plymouth), John Quigley (Whitefield), Mandy Gennaro (Plymouth), Donna Kerr (Littleton), Diane Nickerson (Ashland) and Barbara Webb (Plymouth).
Performances are May 13 and 14 at 7:30 p.m. and May 15 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $15 and available for purchase at www.jeansplayhouse.com or 603-745-2141.
Jean’s Playhouse operates the professional Papermill Theatre and IMPACT Children’s Theatre Companies in the summer and fall and the community Playhouse Players in addition to Jean’s Teens theatre companies in the winter and spring. Jean’s Playhouse also offers a limited year-round guest artist series of magicians, comedians and musicians. Jean’s Playhouse is located at 34 Papermill Drive in Lincoln, adjacent to Riverwalk at Loon Mountain (opening this June!) off I-93 Exit 32. Visit JeansPlayhouse.com or call 603-745-2141 for more information.
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Photo Caption: The Cast of The Dining Room raises a glass and invites you to Jean’s Playhouse May 13-15, 2016!
