Center on the Square to present suspenseful thriller “Rope”
Center on the Square to present suspenseful thriller “Rope”
Dark deeds are afoot at Center on the Square this Halloween Season.
For the mere sake of danger and adventure Wyndham Brandon (Ryan Hoyle) persuades his weak-minded friend Charles Granillo (Justin Morris) to assist him in the murder of a fellow undergraduate Ronald Kentley, and place the corpse in a wooden chest. To add spice to the deed, they invite the young man’s father (Dan Tullos), his aunt (Sally Paine), two innocent young fellow classmates (Brody Richards and Cassandra Cobb), and colleague Rupert Cadell (Martin Mcleod) to a dinner party and serve food from the very chest that contains the evidence of their crime. It is Rupert who first realizes something is amiss, and after chatting up the hapless maid (Lisa Pavlova) he begins to suspect that there may be some grisly motive behind the party.
“We’re really excited about producing Rope because the suspenseful nature of the story works so well with the Halloween season.” Explains Caleb Keese, Artistic Director of the Theater and director of rope. “It’s even based on a true story, which adds an extra element of horror. But it’s not just suspense, there’s also some very witty social satire to give some comic relief. I was drawn to this piece specifically because Alfred Hitchcock is one of my favorite directors and it was an honor to tackle a script that he worked on.”
“I think I was drawn to the role of Brandon because it was so different from what I’ve done before.” Says Ryan Hoyle. “In the past I’ve been cast as romantic leads, and Brandon takes some of those qualities and inverts them. He’s charming and even occasionally a little witty, but these characteristics are all a public mask hiding the chilling sociopath beneath.”
Dinner performances of “Rope” by Patrick Hamilton are scheduled for October 13, 14, 15, 21, 22, 28 and 29. Pizza Playhouse will be October 20. The doors open at 6:15 each night, with the dinner buffet opening at 6:30 p.m. and curtain one hour later. The Sunday, October 30 performance will be a matinee with lunch at 12:30 p.m. and curtain one hour later. Admission prices are $27 for dinner and the show and $24 for seniors. Pizza Playhouse is $18 per person. For the Sunday matinee, admission is $24 for dinner and the show and $21 for seniors. Reservations for dinner are required 24 hours in advance of the show, and can be made by calling 501-368-0111 or online at www.centeronthesquare.org.
Catering for Rope is provided by KJ’s Restaurant, and Center on the Square continues the perennial favorite Thursday evening event, Pizza Playhouse, which provides a fun way to see shows at a discounted rate. For more information or to make reservations, call 501-368-0111 or visit www.centeronthesquare.org.
Associate Sponsors for this show are Regions Bank and the Spann Group.
The Performing Arts Center on the Square is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) corporation dedicated to the expansion and appreciation of the performing arts in the region. Contributions are welcome and are tax-deductible. Center on the Square is supported in part by the Arkansas Arts Council, a division of the Arkansas Department of Heritage, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Center on the Square is handicapped accessible for all performances and interpretation for the deaf is available at the Thursday evening performance of the show by request.
