Prince George's Little Theatre Presents SUITE SURRENDER, Now thru 5/16

Prince George's Little Theatre will present "Suite Surrender" by Michael McKeever weekends at the Bowie Playhouse today, May 1 -16. All Friday performances and the Saturday performances May 2 and 9 are at 8 p.m. The Sunday May 3 and 10 and Saturday May 16 matinees are at 2 pm.

"Suite Surrender" is an all-out love note to the wonderful farces of the 30s and 40s. It is 1942, and the luxurious Palm Beach Royale Hotel is under siege as two of Hollywood's biggest divas are mistakenly booked into the same luxury suite. The women are engaged in a legendary feud that threatens to descend into violence whenever they are in the same room, and compromise is not an option.

The divas, Claudia McFadden (Pam Northrup) and Athena Sinclair (Karen Kellner), are performing for a USO concert to be held at the hotel, and the play features music popular during World War II. The divas are accompanied to their hotel by their personal secretaries, who rapidly become embroiled in hotel efforts to keep the two apart. The already meek and nervous Mr. Pippet (Paul Berry) must prepare Claudia's endless martinis, walk her dog (Mr. Boodles), and ensure that her clothes and her music are in perfect order, and this new emergency sends him into pitiful overload. The relatively calm competence of Athena's Assistant, Murphy Stevens (Lea Scherini), is also destroyed by the impending feud and is further unraveled by the unexpected appearance of a former boy friend.

The beleaguered hotel manager, Bernard T. Dunlap (James McDaniel), tries desperately to keep order as the situation continues to disintegrate, often helped along by the well-intentioned but flighty society matron who has organized the concert, Mrs. Everett P. Osgood (Bernadette Arvidson ). Dunlap's only allies in keeping the calm are two bellmen, Francis (Alex Hyder) and Otis (Nick Sticinski), but they have a tendency to make matters worse as they attempt to respond to Dunlap's rapidly changing directives. Meanwhile, an unusually aggressive local newspaper gossip columnist, Dora del Rio (Jenn Robinson), will go to any lengths to personally observe the divas feuding in the suite in order to gain a scoop.

Producer Malia Murray and Director John Degnan bring this high energy froth to life with the help of a talented and experienced production staff. The period play cries out for a suite with every glitzy frill. Keith Brown heads up the set construction that brings the director's set design to life, while Roy Peterson, who has been nominated multiple times for WATCH awards (including last year's "The Fox on the Fairway" also directed by Degnan) is responsible for set painting and dressing. The striking period costumes are provided by experienced costumer Ashley Amidon, who is making her PGLT debut. Stage Manager Kristi Gardner works backstage to ensure that the actors, lights, and sound keep up with the frenzied pace of the production.

All performances take place at the Bowie Playhouse, 16500 White Marsh Park Drive, Bowie, Maryland. Regular-priced tickets ($20 for adults and $15 for students and seniors) can be purchased at www.pglt.org, by calling (301) 937-7458, or at the box office prior to each performance if tickets are remaining. Groups of ten can purchase tickets in advance for $13 a ticket, a $7 savings over the standard ticket price. There are directions to the Playhouse and more details on ticket purchases at PGLT's website: www.pglt.org.