OLD LYRIC REPERTORY COMPANY BOILS OVER WITH FUN IN “ONE FOR THE POT”
Beginning Thursday, June 13-15, Logan?s Old Lyric Repertory Company (OLRC) continues its traditional summer spectacle with the opening performances of the British farce “One for the Pot” by Ray Cooney and Tony Hilton. Curtain times for all three performances are 8 p.m. at the historic Caine Lyric Theatre in downtown Logan.
OLRC is an educational program provided by Utah State University and its Department of Theatre Arts. It is a summer performance program for advanced theatre students working with professionals. It hosts Equity actors and designers from around the country.
In “One for the Pot,” the 2002 season opener, the elder Jonathan Hardcastle draws up an agreement to give to Billy Hickory Wood 10,000 pounds ($15,000 American) because Billy?s father, Sam, had helped make Hardcastle?s mill profitable. However, Billy, a North Country lad, only gets the sum if no other relatives turn up and claim the prize. On the night of Hardcastle?s daughter Cynthia?s birthday party, Billy?s identical brother Rupert, a well-spoken boy, and Michael, the Irish rogue, arrive one-by-one to collect the money. Of course, chaos ensues and confusion among the “Billys” and the rest of the partygoers is inevitable.
Only in the end, after several characters have been hidden, drugged and swindled, do we find out who is really who.
The farcical romp is directed by OLRC founder W. Vosco Call.
Call is very excited that “One for the Pot” is opening the season and wants the play to be “a wonderful piece of summer tonic.” According to him, the play has taken a considerable amount of time to mold the atmosphere into a late 1940s, early 50s time frame, with some updated jokes, which will add a stronger feel of nostalgia. Asked about his feelings towards his involvement in the company, Call says that returning every year “revitalizes” him, and he is very proud of the years he has served and how the OLRC has developed.
The cast, according to Call, is ready for the fast-paced challenge of a farce. Fred Willecke, an OLRC Equity veteran and familiar face, plays Jonathan Hardcastle. Vanessa Ballam Brenchley, who starred in the title role of last season’s “Peg O? My Heart,” is taking on the role of Amy Hardcastle. Playing Billy Hickory Wood, the reaper of this wealth, is Eric VanTielen. Also in the cast is Actors? Equity professional Leigh Selting, who, says Call, has a terrific knack for farce. Steven Fehr, Aaron Lamb, Ron King, Amber Tuttle and Maribeth Evensen-Hengge round out the roles in the production.
“One for the Pot” was written by Cooney and Hilton in 1956. The play had its first production at the Richmond Theatre in England in 1959 with Cooney himself in the lead role. On August 2, 1961, “One for the Pot” opened at the Whitehall Theatre in London, with the show’s first professional production in Canada at the Shaw Festival in May 1985. Since its beginning, the farce has been produced countless times in Great Britain. The Old Lyric Repertory Company’s production continues that tradition with eight performances this summer.
Additional dates for the play are June 27 and 29 (a matinee and evening performance),
July 17 and August 1. Tickets are available at the USU Spectrum Ticket Office (435-797-0305) between 9 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., at the USU Taggart Student Center Customer Service Office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. or at the Caine Lyric Box Office (28 W. Center) after 7 p.m., one hour before curtain time on performance evenings and from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturdays beginning June 15. Tickets sold at the Caine Lyric Box Office will be for that day?s productions only. Single tickets are $10, $13 and $15 (premium seating) and $8, $11 and $12.
The “Student Rush” is also offered this season. High school and college students can arrive at the Caine Lyric box office 15 minutes before the 8 p.m. curtain time and purchase tickets at half price with a valid ID.
Evening performances begin at 8 p.m. and Saturday matinees at 2 p.m. For more information call 435-797-1500.
OLRC is supported by grants from the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation, George S. and Dolores Doré Eccles Foundation, Emma Eccles Jones Foundation, Utah Arts Council and the National Endowment for the Arts, Bridgerland Travel Region, City of Logan, Anne Kennedy Roskelley Memorial Endowment and Utah Arts Council-Old Lyric Repertory Company Matching Endowment Fund.
Four productions are presented in repertory throughout the summer. Opening next is the popular musical comedy “Nunsense.”