Photo Flash: Sneak Peek at BUYER & CELLAR at The Studio at Stage West

What happens when a megastar hires an underemployed young actor to work for her in her basement shopping mall? Best job ever-or a disaster waiting to happen? You can find out in Jonathan Tolins' outrageous and insightful play BUYER & CELLAR, beginning its four-week run in The Studio at Stage West on Thursday, March 17. Scroll down for a sneak peek at the show's star!

The young actor is Alex More, and he's just lost his job as the Mayor of Toontown after being rude to a child. A friend sets him up with an interview for a job with someone in Malibu. Barbra Streisand, as it turns out. And he becomes the person in charge of the fanciful shopping street she has had built in her basement, which houses a career's worth of jaw-dropping memorabilia. After a few days, he has a meet-cute with the lady herself, and they begin to develop a rapport. But has the banter and the sharing led to something real? Or is Alex headed for inevitable disillusionment?

The premise is fiction, though the shopping mall really does exist (and is featured in Ms. Streisand's book, My Passion for Design). And this clever premise allows Tolins to hold forth with both sly wit and perception on celebrity worship and the necessary solitude of the famous. It's guaranteed to be a fun ride for audiences, whether they are Barbra-lovers or not.

BUYER & CELLAR is directed by Stage West Executive Director Dana Schultes, and features Houston actor Doug Atkins as Alex More, whose credits range from Eugene Onegin for the Houston Grand Opera to Young Frankenstein for The Ritz Theatre.

The set will be designed by Jim Covault, with lighting design by Nate Davis, costume design by Dana Schultes and Jessica Pettit, sound design by Jake Buchanan, and props by Lynn Lovett.

The opening night reception for BUYER & CELLAR will be Saturday, March 19. Ticket prices range from $31 to $35, with discounts for the preview performance, and for students, seniors, and military. Reservations and information are available through the Box Office (817-784-9378), or on the website, www.stagewest.org.

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