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Charley’s Aunt

What:

     The North Coast Repertory Theatre continues its 27th Season with the hilarious comedy Charley’s Aunt by Brandon Thomas.  The productionopens at 8:00 PM on Thursday, November 18 with a benefit performance for the cast and crew.

            Fun for the entire family, the farcical plot revolves around Charley Wykeham and Jack Chesney, undergraduates at Oxford University.  The young men need a chaperone so they can entertain Amy Spettigue and Kitty Verdun, the niece and ward of Stephen Spettigue, an Oxford solicitor.  When Charley receives word from his guardian that his aunt, Donna Lucia d’Alvadorez, a rich widow from Brazil (“where the nuts come from”) whom he has never met, is coming to visit him, they invite Amy and Kitty to lunch to meet her. But when the aunt’s visit is delayed they persuade their friend Lord Fancourt Babberly (known as “Babbs”) to impersonate her.  This is where the fun begins.  Charley’s Aunt was written in the late 19th century.  It broke all historic records for plays of any kind, with an original London run of 1,466 performances.

            The production is directed by Nathan Emmons.  After graduating from Reed College, Emmons moved on to regional theatre in Seattle where he worked as actor, director and ensemble playwright. He then toured nationally and internationally with the Missoula Children’s theatre Company.  After earning a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Acting from the University of Delaware, Emmons performed with companies in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Texas. 

            Emmons describes Charley’s Aunt as “a fascinating precursor to the screwball comedies of Hollywood and early 20th-century French farces by Feydeau.  While firmly rooted in the rising naturalism movement during which it was written, Thomas’s play careens through a roller-coaster of confused social mores and misfired intentions.  And it is hilarious.”  Emmons explains that “the central theme of Charley’s Aunt is love, plain and simple. Love and the lengths to which people will go in order to satisfy it—to say nothing of how utterly it robs us of our faculties of reason and perspective—infuse every moment of this play.”

            The talented cast features Anders Carlson as Babberly (impersonating Charley’s Aunt), Jasper Anderton as Jack, Neal Schoonmaker as Charley, Jackie Bookstein as Amy and Lanelle Chavez as Kitty.  Rounding out the ensemble are Kathleen Marshall, Brittany Williams, David Moore, David Simms, and Phil Zastrow. Scenic and lighting designs are by Daniel Lawrence; costume design by Jennifer Trustem.  Laura Montagna will stage manage the production.

Charley’s Aunt opens at 8:00 PM on Thursday, November 18 with an opening night gala that includes a champagne reception after the show.  This performance will also serve as a benefit for the cast and crew.  All seats for opening night are $15.00.  The performance on Friday, November 19 will be a benefit for the First Congregational Church; tickets are $15.00.   The performance on Saturday, November 20 will be a benefit for Kiwanis of Humboldt Bay; tickets are $17 in advance or $20.00 at the door. Regular ticket prices of $14.00 for general admission and $11.00 for students and seniors will begin on Friday, November 26.  The run will continue Fridays and Saturdays through December 11.  There will be one additional regular Thursday performance on December 9.  All evening performances begin at 8:00 PM.  There will be two matinee performances at 2:00 PM on Sundays, November 28 and December 5.  This show is suitable for all ages.  NCRT is located at 300 Fifth Street, Eureka.  For reservations, group rates, or more information, please all 442-NCRT (6278).  www.ncrt.net.

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