JCC to Produce Harvey by Mary Chase
April 05, 2016
Performances:
Friday, April 29, 2016 at 7:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 1, 2016 at 2:00 p.m.
Both at the Elementary Auditorium in Tecumseh
Admission:
Advanced Tickets Adults $5, Students $4
At the door, Adults $6, Students $5
Rehearsals are well under way for this year’s spring play production of Harvey by the American playwright Mary Chase. In this popular comedy, Veta Louise Simmons (played by Sopha Kongmanyvong) grows weary of the embarrassment caused by her brother, Elwood P. Dowd (Grant Moles), who includes his imaginary friend, a six-and-a-half-foot-tall rabbit named Harvey, in all of Veta’s social functions. The last straw falls when Elwood introduces Harvey to guests at a society party for her daughter, Myrtle Mae (Hannah Swanda), and Veta decides to have Elwood committed to a sanitarium. However, once Veta confesses to the doctors that she, too, sees Harvey after years of living with Elwood’s hallucinations, the psychiatrists (Keaton Kleespies and Eddie Li) immediately commit Veta instead of Elwood, and the comical confusion ensues. Additional cast members include Schyler DeFreece, Sara Kettelhake, Bryan Murphy, Micaela Francisco, Macee North, Simon Rother, and Brady Clements.
The prize-winning play, which is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service, Inc., has been produced on stage many times over and adapted several times for film and television. Perhaps two of the most popular renditions include the 1950 film starring Jimmy Stewart and the 2012 Broadway production starring Jim Parsons and Jessica Hecht.
Performances for the JCC production are scheduled for Friday, April 29 at 7 PM, and Sunday, May 1 at 2 PM in the elementary auditorium in Tecumseh. Advanced tickets may be purchased from all cast and crew members prior to the dates of performance. Admission will be available at the door for an additional cost.
