Alpena Civic Theatre closes out its 2009-10 season with the Pulitzer Prize-winning comedy-drama, "Dinner With Friends." Written by Donald Margulies, the show picks at the bones of two marriages and four friendships.
Gabe and Karen are successful world-traveling food writers and gourmet cooks in their own right. Their best friends, Beth and Tom, are klutzes in the kitchen but devoted admirers and partakers of Gabe and Karen's hospitality.
Beth, in the middle of sharing a scrumptious dessert with her two friends, breaks down sobbing and admits her husband is leaving her for another woman. The pronouncement sends shockwaves that rupture the friendships of the four in unexpected ways and shake the foundations of Gabe and Karen's own married life.
"Dinner With Friends" is also about nourishment. Five of its seven scenes revolve around eating and drinking. Food its preparation and enjoyment, its role as mediator of social interactions, its biological function of keeping body and soul together serves as a metaphor for just about everything that happens in the play.
First time ACT Director Mary Ellen Jones, who relocated to Northeast Michigan after many years of working in the entertainment industry in Hollywood, said she picked the show after catching a performance of it on Martha's Vineyard.
"I saw it performed on Martha's Vineyard, and it was really really well done. People responded well to it," Jones said. "I thought it was well-written and a nice piece of work for four actors."
As director, Jones is pleased with the cast assembled for "Dinner With Friends." Cast in the show are Dennis Szatkowski and Carol Rundell as the couple Gabe and Karen, and Dan Nordenbrock and Phindi Mashinini as the couple Tom and Beth.
"I'm thrilled with them. They're great," Jones said. "We have a fantastic cast. Eighty percent of the job is casting, and we cast very well."
Production crew members include Grace Morrison as assistant director and set design, Megan Mindykowski as stage manager, Maureen Carney on props and stage and Marilyn Kettler on costumes.
Performances are May 13-16 and May 20-23, with show times at 7:30 p.m. Thursday to Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. The show, considered PG-17, contains strong language and mature subjects.
Adult tickets are $10 and student tickets are $8. For reservations, call the ACT box office at 354-3624.
