Independent Players presents 'Morning's at Seven' in Elgin
For three consecutive years, Elgin-based Independent Players has taken a production from its current season to Crystal Lake and presented it for one weekend of RCLPC Theater's summer season.
"Blythe Spirit," "Tartuffe" and "Present Laughter" experienced a new audience, and IP's directors and actors loved being given the chance to perform each of these shows three more times.
This fall, RCLPC Theater is reciprocating by bringing its most recent show - "Morning's at Seven" by Paul Osborn - to Elgin for three weeks as part of IP's 2019-2020 season. Producer Steve Connell, director Gina Belt-Daniels and their cast enjoyed their Crystal Lake run in July, "weren't ready to let the experience end," and accepted IP's invitation to bring their show to Elgin.
"Morning's at Seven" will be presented at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, Sept. 27-28, Oct. 4-5 and 11-12, at Elgin Art Showcase, 164 Division St., eighth floor, Elgin. Tickets are $15; $12 for seniors ages 65 and older and $10 for students ages 14-21. Tickets may be purchased online at www.independentplayers.org and at the door prior to each performance (cash or check only). Call (847) 697-7374 for reservations or information.
The show is directed by Belt-Daniels, who directed "Tribute by Bernard Slade" for IP in 2000, and stars Steve Connell, Rob Cunningham, Elizabeth Dawson, Karen Greuel, Alison Hage, Judith Laughlin, Dan Scott, Paul Lockwood and Stephanie Wootten-Austin.
Written in 1938, "Morning's at Seven" focuses on four aging sisters living in a small Midwestern town in 1928. Cora Swanson and her sister Ida Bolton, along with their husbands Thor and Carl, have lived next to each other for their entire married lives. In addition, an old-maid sister, Arry, lives with Cora and Thor. A fourth sister, Esther, and her husband David, live outside the immediate neighborhood.
As the play opens, everyone is awaiting the arrival of Homer Bolton and his fiance, Myrtle Brown. They have been engaged for seven years, but this is the first time anyone in the family will have met her. When they finally arrive, Homer's father, Carl, is frightened that he will not make a good impression, has one of his "spells" and is kept out of sight for the time being.
Homer has no real desire to marry, despite the fact that his father has built and furnished a house, which has been sitting empty for several years, that will be his when, and if, he does marry. Myrtle is beginning to wonder if she has waited long enough.
Cora and Carl have reached a secret agreement; if Homer doesn't make a wedding announcement, Carl will lease the vacant house to Cora, enabling her to live alone with Thor (who knows nothing about this plan). She plans to leave their present house to Arry.
After many more complications involving every member of the family and Myrtle, Homer gets his house back because he and Myrtle are soon to be married, Arry moves in with Carl and Ida, and Cora finally gets her wish of living alone with her husband.
"In the final analysis," writes Lawrence Henley, "the Gibbs sisters offer us proof that the pitfalls engendered by a lengthy family history of unresolved issues can be overcome, albeit with varying degrees of difficulty. By maintaining their faith in the strength of the family unit, the characters have the ability to brave the storm and resurface with their bindings intact.
"The function of their dysfunction is catharsis, which results in a renewed understanding of what makes the others unique and deserving of love and respect. In the end, it purges the family of whatever bad blood exists, allowing them to overcome trouble in the worst of times. Most importantly, the final unearthing of their 'skeletons in the closet' enables them to extend and appreciate the most important gifts they receive - understanding and forgiveness."
Upon seeing this play, one may very likely realize that some of the awkward situations and crises may have happened in one's own life or in those of one's friends and acquaintances. This is what makes this play so special. It makes one aware of the fact that these ups and downs in life are universal and can be part of the life experience of any human.