“The Women” opens at Center on the Square
- Ongoing: until Saturday, February 13, 2010
- Friday: 6:30pm
- Saturday: 6:30pm
- Where: Center on the Square , Searcy
- Cost: $21 - $27
- Age limit: Not available
“The Women” opens January 29 at Center on the Square
“The Women,” written by Claire Booth Luce, opens January 28 and runs Friday and Saturday nights through February 14. 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, February 14 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. 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. Beth Davis Interiors, Liles Animal Clinic, and The Spann Group have teamed up as Associate Sponsors of the show, while Chesapeake Energy continues its season sponsorship of Center on the Square activities.
“The Women” tells the story of 1936 Park Avenue wife Mary Haines, who learns of her husband’s infidelity from a gossipy manicurist. Gossip, it seems, is the hobby of the women in Mary’s uptown social circle, and their relationships with each other and with the men in their lives are defined by it. Her pride wounded, Mary seeks a Reno divorce, but spends two years ‘sharpening her claws’ in order to get her man back in the end.
Executive Director Lana Hallmark returns to the director’s chair after a year-long break. “This script offers a wealth of insight about women that we didn’t learn at our mothers’ knee,” commented Hallmark. “I was also a little intimidated by it originally, because the script itself reads a little dark and difficult, whereas the original movie version presents the characters as somewhat silly and shallow. We, however, are working toward an interpretation that is sincere, realistic, and yet entertaining. This cast is very devoted to this project.”
A great story isn’t the only thing audiences can look forward to. With 26 actors playing 44 different roles, “The Women” is one of the most technically complex productions the Center has ever mounted. “There are almost 200 period costumes, numerous wigs, and a revolving set. We’ve really stepped up to the challenge, technically, with the help of Technical Director Jonathan Kaplan and Assistant Director Mary Lou Dunn,” says Hallmark.
The all-star cast of local performers includes Ellen Jones, Lauren Lawson, Hilary Polston, Heather Stringfellow, Rickae Boyd, Tiffany Evans, Linda Norris, Sophia Fuller, Katy Giddens, Nancy Liles, Julee Holder, Sally Paine, Natalie Lollis, Dorothy Hatfield, Suzanne Guymon, Barbara Pulliam, Susan Bucher, Jessica Kaplan, Tessa Tunnell, Jami Winfrey, Dianne Thomas, Pat Lehman, Carmen Nunn, Alyssa Holden, Emily Burley, and Emma Howard.
As usual the Center will offer wonderful dinner by some of the area’s best caterers and continues the widely popular Thursday evening event, Pizza Playhouse, which provides a fun way to see shows at a discounted rate. The Pizza Playhouse performance for “The Women” is on Thursday, February 4, and tickets are $18 for the pizza buffet and show. Pizza is served at 6:30 p.m. and curtain is at 7:30. Reservations are required and can be made at 501-368-0111, or www.centeronthesquare.org
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.
This event was posted Jan. 18, 2010 and last updated Jan. 26, 2010
