Friendship, life explored in 'Tuesdays With Morrie'

“Tuesdays With Morrie” is a well-known story revolving around old friends, life and death.

Starting this weekend, Steel Beam Theatre in St. Charles plans to add its own touches to the production.

“Tuesdays With Morrie” begins its run at Steel Beam, 111 W. Main St., at 8 p.m. today, April 1. The show will run every weekend until April 23. Tickets are $25, $23 for seniors.

The show is adapted from a novel of the same name by Mitch Albom. It tells the story of Albom's rekindled friendship with a former professor, Morrie Schwartz, who is now terminally ill.

Though the story does deal with death and dying, play director Donna Steele insists that the play is not meant to be sad.

“(‘Tuesdays With Morrie') is not depressing. Hopefully the audience will find it uplifting,” Steele said.

“It's a lovely piece that has some name recognition with the popularity of the book. It's a piece I've been wanting to do for a couple of years and I think it will appeal to our audience.”

Dennis Edwards, a West Chicago actor who will be playing Albom, agrees.

“(The production) is about a man who comes to the end of his life. He's 76 years old and … the kind of life lessons he comes to and shares with the audience celebrates his life and the end of his life,” Edwards said. “It's really uplifting, I think. I don't think Mitch Albom meant for the book to be a sad downer type of thing.”

Steele chose the play as Steel Beam's signature drama production for the year.

“Tuesdays With Morrie” has only one other cast member — Richard Westphal, who will be portraying Morrie Schwartz. Both men decided against reading the novel the play is based on so they could come into the production with a completely fresh take on how to play their parts.

“I don't know that (reading the novel) would necessarily have helped (prepare me for my role),” Westphal, from Aurora, said.

“You work from a script and sometimes it's better to go in with a fairly open mind and with as few preconceptions as possible.”

Westphal does admit that it can be hard to present a story that many audience members may have seen or read before.

“You have to try to make the character your own and hope that you'll present a version of the story that is compelling on its own terms. You hope that people forget what they have seen before,” Westphal said.

“I think our job is to make what we're doing work on our own terms and hope the audience responds to that.”

Both actors have done shows together in the past and feel their onstage dynamics will work well for this play.

“I know Richard; we're used to each other. I think we have a good chemistry together. We just work really easily together,” Edwards said.

For tickets, visit steelbeamtheatre.com or call (630) 587-8521.

If you go

<B>What:</B> Steel Beam Theatre's production of “Tuesdays With Morrie,” an uplifting story of friendship, life and death

<B>When:</B> 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, April 1-2, 8-9, 15-16, 22-23; 3 p.m. Sundays, April 3, 10, and 17. “Lunch With Morrie” packages are offered on Wednesdays, April 13 and 20, with lunch at 11:30 a.m. and the show at 1 p.m.

<B>Where:</B> Steel Beam Theatre, 111 W. Main St., St. Charles

<B>Tickets:</B> $25 and $23 for seniors. Lunch packages are $34.

<B>For more information:</B> <a href="http://www.steelbeamtheatre.com" target="_blank">steelbeamtheatre.com</a> or (630) 587-8521