Romantic farce 'Beau Jest' brings laughs to Elgin

Amorous challenges, religious quarrels, and humorous dialogue will be addressed over dinner with the parents when "Beau Jest" hits Elgin's Kimball Street Theater on Friday, June 12.

The story follows Sarah, a young Jewish woman embroiled in a love affair with Chris, a white Anglo-Saxon Protestant. To please her parents, Sarah invents a Jewish boyfriend named Dr. Steinberg. Once her parents' insistence for introduction becomes unbearable Sarah hires an escort named Bob to impersonate her fictional lover at a dinner party with her parents.

"What kind of surgeon?" Bob is asked during the play. "Whatever comes up, hearts, brains," he replies. His character is set to be an energetic performance which eventually captures the hearts of the story's other characters including the protagonist, Sarah.

The play's director, Julie Price of Palatine, is making her first venture into traditional theater after coming from a background of musicals, murder mysteries and youth teaching.

"This is the first time I've done a full play with an adult cast so I'm really excited about it," Price said. "It's been a really fun cast to work with so far."

Toria Hollyn of Carol Stream is set to star as Sarah Goldman. She has participated in a number of suburban productions including Wheaton Drama's "All My Sons" and Grove Players' "Holiday." Scot Savage from Schaumburg will characterize her real boyfriend Chris Kringle while Rich Stonikas from Mount Prospect will portray Bob the escort.

"We'd get together for pseudo dinners and tried to act in character to kind of flush out how this mother and father or brother and sister would interact if they didn't have these words in front of them," Price said. "And find different ways to make those actors connect. They've just seemed like they're having a lot of fun."

The performance by Stonikas will be his theatrical debut. He came on as a member of the tech crew to build sets and construct sceneries, but was asked by Price to audition for an acting role. After auditioning for a minor role, the casting panel suggested a better fit as Bob, one of the main characters.

"I figured, why not?" Stonikas said. "It's a new experience. I'd like to give it a shot. The whole process of this production is new to me, and I'm lucky to be working with such talented and helpful people."

For him, adapting to theatrical performing posed some challenges, but ones he enjoyed. He found solace abandoning his thoughts and engulfing himself in character.

"I'd say the most difficult thing I faced is working a full day at our respective professions, then going to the theater at night to rehearse," Stonikas said. "A lot can happen during a work day. Any thoughts you had about the day like office stress or contemplating what you need to pick up from the store, has to leave your mind when you enter the theater."

The play, written by James Sherman, premiered at Chicago's Victory Gardens Theater in 1989. There, it ran for one year, followed by a two-and-a-half year stint as an off-Broadway production.

Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, June 12, 13, 19, and 20; and 2 p.m. Sundays, June 14 and 21. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for seniors and children. For details, call (847) 741-0532 or visit www.elgin-theatre.org.