Stepping Out with the OLRC, NoÃl Coward’s Comedy “Private Lives” Opens

The Tony Award-winning play “Private Lives” comes to Utah State University’s Caine Lyric Theatre in downtown Logan as part of the 2012 Old Lyric Repertory Company season.
           
“Private Lives is a comedy of manners as only NoÃl Coward can write,” said Dennis Hassan, artistic director of the OLRC and associate professor in the Caine College of the Arts at Utah State University. “It’s full of wit and charm, with hilarious moments throughout the production. You will grow to love these characters as they struggle with their feelings for one another.”
           
The show is about Elyot and Amanda, a divorced couple who find themselves honeymooning in neighboring rooms at the same hotel with their new spouses. Their highly charged relationship will keep you guessing throughout the whole show, said Hassan.
           
“Private Lives” opens June 21 and continues June 22-23, with additional dates through Aug. 18.  Curtain for evening performances is 7:30 p.m. and selected matinee dates have a 2 p.m. curtain. The season’s full schedule can be seen online (http://arts.usu.edu/lyric/htm/schedule).
           
“This is one of the best NoÃl Coward shows,” said Tamari Dunbar who plays Amanda Prynne in the OLRC production. “It’s a true masterpiece. The show is reminiscent of a 1920s and ’30s love story. It’s romantic, witty and embodies language comparable to Shakespeare. ‘Private Lives’ is the perfect date night.”
           
Elyot Chase is placed by Nicholas Dunn, seen last season as Mozart in the OLRC’s “Amadeus.”  Kenneth Risch, USU Theatre Arts Department head, makes his OLRC directing debut with “Private Lives.”
           
Other productions in the 2012 season are “Steel Magnolias,” “Big River: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” “Lend Me a Tenor,” “Greater Tuna” and “Charlotte’s Web.” Each show runs on selected dates June through August. All shows are performed in the Caine Lyric Theatre, located in downtown Logan at 28 W. Center Street.
           
Tickets for OLRC productions can be purchased by visiting the Caine College of the Arts Box Office at Utah State University in room 139-B of the Chase Fine Arts Center open 10 a.m.­-5 p.m., Monday through Friday, by calling 435-797-8022 or online at the Caine College of the Arts website (arts.usu.edu). Tickets are also available at the Caine Lyric Theatre, from noon-4 p.m., Monday through Friday and an hour prior to curtain on show nights. Individual ticket prices range from $18-$25 for adults, $15-$21 for seniors and USU faculty and staff and $12-$18 for USU students and youth.
           
For more information on the OLRC’s 2012 season it online at the OLRC website (arts.usu.edu/lyric).