The Stagecrafters theater in Chestnut Hill begins its season in celebration of American playwrights with a special preview performance on Thursday, September 24th of Theresa Rebeck’s MAURITIUS, which runs for three weekends. In this play we meet Jackie and Mary, two half-sisters who, upon the death of their mother, have come into possession of what may be a valuable stamp collection. As the two contend over its disposition, mutual antagonism and recriminations rise to a fever pitch, and their dispute gets them involved with stamp sharpies, con artists, and a shady collector of rare stamps. This sharp and keen-witted dark comedy-thriller, a universal tale of greed and the quest for the unattainable, will have you hanging on for dear life with each plot twist and convolution.
Theresa Rebeck (b. 1958), celebrated playwright, television writer, and novelist, is the author of close to two dozen full-length plays. Several of her titles may be recognized from their presentations in the Philadelphia area: Bad Dates (2003), The Understudy (2007), and Seminar (2011). MAURITIUS, written in 2006, premiered in New York at the Manhattan Theatre Club on October 4, 2007, and in recent years has been ranked among the most produced plays in regional theater. Critics have showered its author with glowing praise: “… Rebeck has crafted a caper that is equally comic and captivating.” (www.theatermania.com); “… one of [her] strengths is her skill at stitching tension into every exchange.” (Variety); “… Her scenes have a crisp shape, her dialogue pops, her characters swagger … and she knows how to give plot a cunning twist.” (The New Yorker).
Performance dates are Sep. 24-26, Oct. 1-3, 8-10 at 8 p.m., Sep. 27, Oct. 11 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at $17.00 Online (no service charge), $20.00 At-door. (Thurs. eve performances 2-for-$25 Online, 2-for-$30 At-door). Students with valid ID $13.00 At-door. Groups of 15 or more are offered a reduced rate of $15.00 a ticket, paid in advance. Subscriptions are still available for the entire season, at $65.00 each, and may be purchased online, or at the box office when attending a show in the current production. The box office opens 45 minutes before each performance. For information call 215-247-8881; for reservations-direct call 215-247-9913. The theater is located in the heart of Chestnut Hill at 8130 Germantown Ave. Visit website for details: http://www.thestagecrafters.org.
Special NOTE: A “Meet the Cast and Director” Q & A session will be held following the performance on Friday, Oct. 2.
Theater/Organization The Stagecrafters
Theater/Organization Website: http://www.thestagecrafters.org
Theater/Organization Address: 8130 Germantown Avenue Chestnut Hill Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19118 (Map It)
Theater/Organization Phone: (215) 247-8881
