Kirk Players open 53rd season with 'Red Herring'
The Kirk Players will open its 53rd season with the funny, romantic and intriguing "Red Herring" by Michael Hollinger, a cleverly written story, entwined with farcical humor, mistaken identity, mystery, and Cold War paranoia.
It's 1952 and America is on the verge of the H-bomb, Dwight Eisenhower is on the campaign trail, and "I Love Lucy" is on TV on Monday nights. Three love stories, a murder mystery, and a nuclear espionage plot converge in this noir comedy.
"There are both amazing charm and amazing laughs in store for our audiences," Director Les Lynn said. "We have six great leads doing a fantastic job and I cannot believe how full and funny some of the smaller characters are."
"This show is filled with lunatic action and has a happy ending," he said, but noted that there is a very tender scene near the end of the play about how couples need to work together to keep a successful marriage afloat.
The show opens at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 12 at the Mundelein High Theatre. There will be another evening performance at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13, along with matinees at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 13, and Sunday, Oct. 14.
"We've wanted to do this show for a long time," Lynn, who is also the Kirk Players artistic director, said. "And now with all the interesting geopolitical conditions at play, it just seems like the right time!"
He noted that it is challenging to stage a show with 24 scene changes and that only the combined efforts of a highly qualified management and technical team make this possible.
"Assistant Director Meghan Lane is fantastic; Natalie LaVoie, who is a former student of mine, is a strong stage manager; and Mandy Stebbins is contributing so much to the show as Assistant stage manager."
Brenda Sparks and Lisa Willems lead the set design team with creations of 24 different scene settings.
The technical team is complemented with the expertise of props chief Bev Kearns, costumer Peggy Thoman, lighting design Chuck Fitz-Hugh, sound design Martin Hill and special effects/weapons master Gary Gunther.
The cast of characters includes lovers Maggie Pelletier and Frank Keller, played by Jess Motyka and Jon Matousek; wide-eyed young love birds, Lynn McCarthy (daughter of Senator Joe McCarthy) and James Appel, played by Marilee C.C. Rusiniak and Nat Brautigam; and older but wiser couple Mrs. Kravitz and Andrei Borchevsky, brought to life by Gretchen Grassl and Randy Rice. Rounding out the cast with colorful characters are Fred Vipond, Jeff Griffith, Betty Slack, Mandy Stebbins, Amy Sharer, Mike Lieberman, Randy Margison, Ari Cohen, Tim Dowling and Valerie Munz.
Tickets may be purchased through the Kirk Players website, www.kirkplayers.org, or by calling (847) 521-6192. Tickets may also be purchased at the door.
Founded in 1966, the Kirk Players is a not-for-profit corporation of volunteers with the goal of providing service to the community through the arts. Revenue from productions is invested back into the community to support the arts and art programs. While based in Mundelein, the Kirk Players work and make donations to the arts throughout Lake County.
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