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S p o t l i g h t Est'd 1948 Hall:
444 Brighton Road, Brighton SA
Mail: PO Box 52, Brighton SA 5048 Phone: (08) 8296 2628 Email: info@stjudesplayers.asn.au Website: stjudesplayers.asn.au |
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Official newsletter of St Jude’s Players Inc. |
July 2003– No. 119
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Our
next Play is the hysterical Neil Simon Comedy ….
Laughter
on the 23rd Floor
Directed
by Judy Menz
 Director: Judy Menz |
Set in New York in 1953, it re-creates the mayhem, neuroses, nonstop gags and constant one-upmanship of a team of brilliantly funny social misfits as they write the Max Prince TV Show, a weekly variety program. Among the crew are Milt, the insult artist; Ira, the hypochondriac whose dream is to have a virus named after him; and Val, a Russian emigrant, who takes a Berlitz course so he can curse without an accent. They are devoted to their boss, Max, a comic genius, a tyrant and a paranoiac with a heart of gold. His penchant for tippling and popping too many pills is growing under the pressures of rising McCarthyism, network executives, and sponsors who want him to cut back his “too-smart” show and staff so that they can chase after the I Love Lucy, Father Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver audience. This Neil Simon play is an ‘autobiographical window’ to a team of comedy writers in television's Golden Age. One of Broadway's funniest playwrights writing about a team of comedy writers. Simon began his career as a writer for Sid Caesar’s Your Show of Shows, working alongside some of the finest comedy writers of the era including Woody Allen, Mel Brooks and Carl Reiner. The 90 minute variety show was one of the most ambitious and most popular shows in television history. So popular, that in an all-out TV war, ABC pitted America’s most popular musical star, Frank Sinatra, in a spot opposite Sid Caesar’s show. The move backfired knocking Sinatra’s musical variety show out of the competition and “old blue eyes” swore never to do a television weekly series again. |
Warning: We wish to advise patrons that this show contains some strong language
Performance
dates
30th July to 2nd August and 5th to 9th
August 2003 at 8 pm
Saturday
Matinee - 2nd and 9th August at 2 pm
Group
Bookings - 15 or more $7 per person. Please telephone Beth on 8376 6786
by no later than Mon. 14thJuly
Ordinary
Bookings - open Wed. 16th July at Brighton Stationers and
Newsagency, Shop 8, Brighton Shopping Centre, 525 Brighton Road, Brighton.
Telephone 8296 8902
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Great Food & Great Show $17 Dinner
voucher for $10 and Ticket to Play valued at $10 …you
save $3….. available for |
Fasta
Pasta St
Jude’s Players third show for 2003
A
Load of Bullamakanka
Harold Minear is writing another topical, song and dance masterpiece Directed by Rosie Aust. Season commences on the 5th November and will run to the 15th.
A scene from The Madness of George III
Our last production the Australian Premiere of The Madness of George III will be long remembered as another achievement in the history of the Players. The remarkable staging, costumes and lasting dramatic impact the cast made will long be recalled as a benchmark and an amazing performance.
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Some extracts of the reviews …..
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“Les Zetlein’s generous, humorous production cuts no corners and pays respects to all the concerns of playwright Bennett”. “St Jude’s Players is one of the few companies that would be brave enough to bring it to the amateur stage, since it has a huge and busy cast, dozens of scenes, and makes great demands on actors.” “The tiny St Jude’s stage is made a universe by Steve Woolman’s stylized, abstracted set design.” “In Tony Busch, Zetlein has found a tremendous King George, and gathered a strong cast around him, particularly Peter Davies as the Prince of Wales and David Lockwood as psychiatrist Dr Willis.”
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Raffle
Winner
The
winner of the magnificent raffle, conducted during the production of The
Madness of George III and drawn on the final night of the show, was Mrs.
A Richardson. Congratulations and we hope that you enjoyed that wonderful
prize.
Spotlight
readers are reminded
If
you are not already a member, you can join in the fun of being actively
involved with St Jude’s Players. It takes 3 months to put a show together,
you can see and learn about set construction, costumes, lighting, props
and prompt….you don’t know what you are missing! It doesn’t matter if you
have one hour to spare or 10 hours over the 3 months it all helps. A $5
annual fee allows you to be invited to members only functions and voting
at the AGM. Telephone for details or join by printing a form from our web
site.
Coming
Social Events
August
– Saturday the 30th
Words,
Wine and Heaven Knows II
Wine
tasting from 7 pm
Entertainment
by Heaven
Knows from 7.30 pm
Admission:
Gold coin
October
- Saturday the 11th
Bingo
Night with host David
Sabine - A
fun night with lots of Prizes
Keep
in touch
Drop
us a line anytime at the above address or by e-mail, if you have any questions
or suggestions.
Web
Site
We
are currently adding some new features to our website, with the establishment
of a photo album covering the various shows over the years. A Guest Book
for comments will also be available. If you have made a visit to the site
recently you will have noticed our new Jigsaw too. Information regarding
all aspects of St Jude’s Players can be found at our web site at:
stjudesplayers.asn.au
The
Passing Of Another Dear Friend and Supporter of St Jude’s Players
It
is with much sadness that we advise our readers of the death of Stan Dack,
husband of Tarlie Dack, on Saturday 31st May after a short illness.
Stan was made a Life Member of the Players for the support he gave to Tarlie
and also the company with front-of-house activities over many years. A
service and celebration of Stan’s life was conducted on Wednesday 4th
June at St. Jude’s Anglican Church, Brighton. We extend our sincere sympathies
to Tarlie and her family.
Answer
to Brain Teaser April 2003
In
our last issue you were looking for one word made up from clues in the following
verse:
“My first is in sailor,
My second’s in gain;
My whole, though oft shot at,
Has never been slain.” Answer was “TARGET”
….and the new Brain Teaser:
This time the four missing words all contain the same six letters;
“I saw her dance like ___________ upon the green;
Her gown was white, with ________ of yellow dyed;
Her apples like the __________ apple seen,
And now before the ________ she stands, a bride”.
Brain Teaser supplied by Jan Houltby
Did you know in 1949 ….
A radio play, He That Should Come, written by Dorothy L. Sayers and critically acclaimed in England in the early forties, was adapted for the stage by Brother Aidan Honey who also directed the play, assisted by Ron Hanckel. Some of the music was written by cast member Joyce Hecker. The word did spread … this play went on tour to Yankalilla !
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