Starting Friday, Dec. 8, Pistarckle Theater will be presenting a first on its stage: a visiting production from St. Croix.
The play is "Beyond Therapy," a contemporary social comedy. It's coming to the theater in Tillett Gardens under the direction of Martin Merrick, a familiar figure in stage productions on the Big Island who served as lighting designer for the Pistarckle children's summer camp production of "The Hobbit" last July.
Pistarckle producer Nikki Emerich describes "Beyond Therapy," a work by Christopher Durang, as "a raucous, fast-paced comedy" about two people in therapy and their two therapists, "all of whom are looking for a long-term relationship in the classified ads." Durang, she said, "is a contemporary playwright who has a true sense of the absurd."
Featured in the cast of six actors for the local production is Walt Julio, who studied at The Actors Studio in New York. He and Merrick have been active in Merrick's own MTM Productions and in Caribbean Community Theatre on St. Croix. Julio also worked with Merrick on "The Hobbit" last summer.
"While they were here for ‘The Hobbit,' we were talking, and one thing led to another," Emerich explained. "They had done ‘Beyond Therapy' recently on St. Croix, and Marty thought our theater would really be suited for the play."
She added, "It's a pretty simple show to run. We're providing the set pieces, but they're bringing the props and costumes. We'll provide help with the lights."
The visiting production offers two enticements to regular Pistarckle patrons, she said: "a high level of talent and a change from the familiar St. Thomas faces."
(Meantime, starting Dec. 14, Pistarckle will be in rehearsal for its next presentation, "The Final Twist," which Emerich described as "a farcical thriller." It's scheduled to open Jan. 12 for a two- or three-weekend run, depending on demand. "Robin Stanton from the Chicago Dramatists Workshop is coming to direct it, and Holli Hornlien, an actress from Chicago, will play one of the three roles," she said. Cast in the other two parts are St. Thomas community theater veteran Val Kuffel and Yasir Rashid, a young St. Thomian who has been studying drama in Los Angeles.)
"Beyond Therapy" opens Dec. 8 with Pistarckle's popular "pay-as-you-can" night – a cut above a dress rehearsal, with audience feedback afterward appreciated. Performances proceed on Saturday, Dec. 9, and Friday and Saturday, Dec. 15 and 16, all at 8 p.m. There will also be matinees at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 10, and Sunday, Dec. 17.
While it's not a play aimed at a young audience, it's suitable for mature teen-agers, Emerich said.
Tickets after the first night are $22 for front-half seating in the theater and $15 for the rear-half rows. They're available at Bumpa's on the Waterfront, Marina Market in Red Hook, Polli's Restaurant in Tillett Gardens and McDonald's in Wheatley Center. Reservations are recommended. For charge card purchases or more information, call the Pistarckle box office at 775-7877.
