New VWCT play run starts this Thursday

VW independent/submitted information

Van Wert Civic Theatre is almost ready to lift the curtain on its next production. 

Cahootsis a brilliantly written thriller farce that will keep audiences wondering what happens next while questioning what this play is really supposed to be. Is it funny? Tragic? Do I love these characters? Are they evil or just being real?  

Director Jon Hodges has assembled a stellar cast that will throw the audience against the back wall with the power and realness of the acting and then have it bent over in laughter as they pull out the comedic stops.  Hodges is a veteran of the stage but has never directed at VWCT. Audiences will enjoy what he has done with this quirky script.  

This thriller farce is set in the Manhattan high rise apartment of Ken and Jan. Jan and her friend, Lois, are setting up for a dinner party before attending a neighborhood crime watch meeting, while Lois’s husband, Al, who is obsessed with crime prevention, impersonates a masked burglar and breaks into the apartment. 

A growing antagonism between Al and Ken comes to a head over dinner, and, at the end of the first scene, Ken kills Al with an oversized pepper mill. The problem then becomes what to do with the body, a dilemma that is complicated when a security guard arrives at the door, attempts to blackmail the accomplices, and, well, has to be killed.

The cast for this wonky romp into the delights of murderous friendship includes Sarah Glover as Jan Miller, Ed Eichler as Ken Miller, Christa Manning as Lori Shields, Jon Hodges as Al Shields, and Courtney Wendel as Alana Grant (note: This show contains adult language). 

Show dates for Cahoots are January 17-20, and 24-27. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m. with Sunday shows beginning at 2 p.m. Tickets are $13 at the door (cash and check only).

To make a reservation call 419.238.9689 from 2-6 p.m. Monday-Saturday or just show up 20 minutes before the show … there will be a seat available. Don’t worry about weather, either. VWCT recently installed a new thermostat, and its auditorium and lower lobby are warm.

If there’s snow, wear boots and a heavy coat. The VWCT’s large coat room is to attendees’ right as they come in the upper lobby, and no one minds if people are dressed for comfort … casual is always in at VWCT.  

Director Doug Grooms also announces auditions for VWCT’s March production of the Neil Simon show The Sunshine Boys. Grooms will be looking for a cast of five men and two women for the show. The story is as follows: Al and Willie as “Lewis and Clark” were top-billed vaudevillians for over 40 years. Now they aren’t even speaking. When CBS requests them do a “History of Comedy” retrospective, a grudging reunion brings the two back together, along with a flood of memories, miseries, and laughs. 

Auditions will be held Sunday, January 20, and Monday, January 21, starting at 7 p.m. Show dates are March 7-10 and 14-17. Visit www.vwct.orgfor more information.