Village Theatre Guild presents darkly comic 'Any Given Monday'
Glen Ellyn's Village Theatre Guild will continue its 57th season with "Any Given Monday" by Bruce Graham.
The show deals with Lenny, who is a great guy: a good teacher, an excellent father and a loving husband.
So when his wife leaves him for a smooth-talking Lothario who builds Walmarts, his life is shattered.
While Lenny consoles himself with pizza and "Monday Night Football," his best friend Mick takes matters into his own hands.
Now Lenny must decide what he will stand up for and who he will stand up to. How far is too far to get back to happily-ever-after?
The production is directed by Jack T. Smith of Bloomingdale and produced by Debi Gits-Joseph of Wheaton.
The cast features Linda Cunningham of LaGrange as Risa, Rich Kropp of Glen Ellyn as Mick, Gary Charles Metz of LaGrange Park as Lenny, and Kate Roberts of Lockport as Sarah.
Smith was excited by the prospects of directing the show.
"I have always been attracted to plays that are comedies but also somewhat absurd and touch several emotions at the same time. It takes great writing to do that, and the playwright Bruce Graham has a history of that amazing kind of storytelling," he said.
"Any Given Monday" opens on Friday, Jan. 17, for a run of 12 performances through Feb. 8.
The performances will begin at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Jan. 17-18, 24-25, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, and Feb. 7-8. Saturday and Sunday matinees are at 3 p.m. Jan. 19, 26, Feb. 1 and 8.
"Acting in a show at VTG had been on my bucket list for quite some time, so I'm thrilled to be cast," Cunningham said.
For Metz, playing in the role of the middle-aged Lenny, "The passage of time has begun to 'age me out' of playing some potentially great roles, so when the 'right' ones come along, I try hard to clear time to audition for them. I fit the physical and professional profile of Lenny, and I like that Lenny has some distinctly different sides to play,"
Kropp, playing the role of Lenny's friend Mick, said, "My part is hilarious and the play overall is fantastic. It's the kind of part that doesn't come around very often; I'm fortunate."
Tickets are now on sale at villagetheatreguild.org or by calling (630) 469-8230.
Tickets are $19.99 (all fees included).
Village Theatre Guild is located at 2S720 Park Blvd. near the northwest corner of Butterfield Road and Park Boulevard in Glen Ellyn. Free parking is available.
If you go
What: "Any Given Monday"
Who: Glen Ellyn's Village Theatre Guild
When: 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Jan. 17-18, 24-25, Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, and Feb. 7-8; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Jan. 19, 26, Feb. 1 and 8.
Where: 2S720 Park Blvd.
Tickets: $19.99
Info: villagetheatreguild.org or (630) 469-8230