Three Jewish widows who are long-time friends meet for tea every Sunday and then proceed to visit the cemetery where all three husbands are buried. Lucille (Bev Smith) is flamboyant, flirty and fun-loving. Doris (Carolyn Nelson) is straight-laced and priggish with a witty, sarcastic tongue. Ida (Barbara Burri) is sweet and ready to move on with her life. When Ida meets an eligible widower, Sam (Randy Knox), at the cemetery, Doris and Lucille are less than pleased about his interest in their friend. But when Sam appears at the wedding of a mutual friend with a glamorous younger widow (Sherry Snyder) on his arm, all bets are off!
THE CEMETERY CLUB has many hilarious exchanges as all three of the principal characters deal with their solitude and loss in various ways, but ultimately it is a story about friendship and resiliency. Through it all they depend on one another and the memories and connections they have built. Together they find a way to go forward, and the intimacy of the play is ideally suited to the Barley Sheaf space. Director Cindy Schneider has helmed comedies both musical (The Full Monty) and non-musical (Almost, Maine), but she is most well-known in the area for thought-provoking and moving dramas, such as The Laramie Project, Lucy, and The Diary of Anne Frank. She feels that with The Cemetery Club she has the best of both worlds. “It has a huge amount of comedy, but there is a real bond between characters, and there is definite drama that occurs. Directing a small, intimate show gives you an opportunity to really work on character and that is something I love, whether in drama or comedy. It also provides a great vehicle for five actors of a certain age to play many wonderful moments.”
The staff also includes Rhonda Bastarache (Producer), Kelley Stanford (Assistant Director), Glen Eric Reed (Set Designer), Kelley Stanford (Costume Designer), and Allen Puy (Technical Designer). Props are by Sherry Snyder.
Fans of The Golden Girls won’t want to miss this one, which opens September 7 and runs through September 22. Purchase your tickets and select your seats online at www.barleysheaf.org or call the box office at 610.363.7075.
The Barley Sheaf Players is a non-profit, inclusive community theater organization dedicated to the ongoing promotion and encouragement of dramatic arts in the region. BSP is located at 810 N. Whitford Rd in Lionville, PA and throughout the year welcomes new members interested in all aspects of theater at all levels of experience.
THE CEMETERY CLUB by Ivan Menchell is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC.
Theater/Organization The Barley Sheaf Players
Theater/Organization Website: http://www.barleysheaf.org/
Theater/Organization Address: 810 N. Whitford Road Lionville, Pennsylvania 19353 (Map It)
Theater/Organization Phone: (610) 363-7075
