“The Curious Savage” by John Patrick, takes the stage April 11-13
Reserved seats downstairs are $12 and general seats in the balcony are $10. Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. For tickets, contact Angela Walter at 608-778-7726.
Set in the 1950’s, Ethel Savage has always been a dreamer, wanting to explore life. When her husband dies, entrusting her with his vast fortune, she plans on making others’ dreams come true with a fund. However, her stepchildren have other ideas for that money, and commit her to a home to try and wrestle control away from her. At the home, Ethel befriends the other residents, a colorful crew of kind, generous and misfit souls. They quickly become connected, and the group demonstrates their loyalty as Mrs. Savage leads her stepchildren through clever escapades that expose their greed.
The cast for this show is a mix of veteran LCP actors, and newcomers. Michael Harding, Summer Cohen, Sarah Imhoff, and Joanne Pereira join LCP for their first performance at the Grantland.
Sarah Imhoff is from Fennimore, and took on her role as a challenge to try something “outside my comfort zone.” Joanne Pereira is currently a student at Lancaster High School, where she fell in love with being part of a production and performing on stage. Michael Harding was drawn to this first role because he gets to play a character that is the near opposite of himself. “Titus is a confrontational, angry person… I am not,” Harding opined. Summer Cohen, a graduate of Potosi High School, had been in prominent roles throughout middle and high school while a student.
This group joins longtime LCP members Mike Steffel, Ann Savides Dolan, Lisa Nicolai, Sally Harper, Andrea Washa, Joel Ingebritsen, and Bill Haskins.
Ann Savides Dolan is a founding member of LCP, and has countless credits on stage, as well as off, having directed numerous plays, her last two directorial productions being “Rehearsal for Murder” and “Murdered to Death” back to back (the latter being a comedy, and the former not). Bill Haskins has been part of some of the biggest draws the theatre troupe has ever put on, having directed “The Producers”, “Mamma Mia!”, and “A Chorus Line”. Mike Steffel has been a mainstay in the cast of nearly every recent play, having been the lead in comedies like “Lucky Stiff”, and when not on stage heads the lighting crew. Dr. Sally Harper has been a part of every production since her debut in “Mamma Mia!”, with “The Curious Savage” being her fifth straight outing. Sally’s husband, Lancaster Mayor Stuart Harper, is also a mainstay having been the head of set construction for many of the performances. Joel Ingebritsen is returning with his acting talent, having made his LCP debut in “Soup de Jour” in 2012, and really shining as Sam Carmichael in the hit “Mamma Mia!”. Lisa Nicolai has been a vital part of LCP for over 25 years, first introduced through her father, LCP musical accompanist the late Don Pagni. Lisa’s husband, Dr. Tom Nicolai, has been LCP’s go-to sound guy, performing his audio production magic for over 20 years. Andrea Washa returns to the lead after being the irrepressible Miss Maple in the comedy caper “Murdered to Death”.
Directing this performance is Eileen Dushek-Manthe, who is no stranger to being onstage or off it, having been a performer in numerous LCP productions, as well as directing several plays, including “Buying the Moose”, in addition to helping produce several plays, creating the write-ups for playbills and publicity materials.