COMING OUT to Open at Abbey Theater of Dublin, Today

Rehearsals are under way for the new J.T. McDaniel dark comedy Coming Out, premiering at the Abbey Theater of Dublin on October 4. The nine member cast includes author McDaniel, Brenda Newsom, Jim LeVally, Martha Kathryn Smith, Ashley Collins, Josh Kaplonski, Jai Furlong, Will 'Tu Tail' Smith, and Grace Rinehart.

Newsom, Furlong, and Rinehart are new to the cast, replacing previously announced actors in the roles of Susan Anderson, George Anderson, and Carol Burgess. "The local employment scene has been a problem for us," McDaniel said. "We lost three actors when their work schedules changed, one before she was even announced. Another had to drop out due to uncertainty about some family obligations. Fortunately, we've been able to find some wonderful actors to replace them."

Set at an unnamed central Ohio college, Coming Out touches on contemporary issues in a serious, yet frequently humorous way. "First," McDaniel says, "there's the generally good natured conflict between the atheist philosophy professor father (McDaniel) and the megachurch pastor and televangelist elder son (LeVally). Bob thinks his son isn't paying enough attention to reality, while James is convinced that his father is going to hell if he doesn't start believing. Bob is often annoyed by this, and his reaction, besides the arguing, is to start drinking well before his son arrives. The drinking, of course, is something else James doesn't care for."

Things become more serious when younger son George (Furlong) arrives and reveals his plans to move to New York and marry his roommate, Eric Simpson (Smith). This trigger a furiously homophobic reaction from James, who not only objects to the very idea of same-sex marriage, but has an equally hard time even believing that his former high school football team Captain Younger brother could possibly be gay. The situation is hardly helped when Eric suggests that James' belief that homosexuality is a "choice" is an indication of his own bisexuality. "He just has a one-way, narrow way of thinking about life," LeVally says of his character.

The situation is further complicated when Bob's secretary (Rinehart) arrives and reveals that she's pregnant.

Coming Out opens October 4 and runs weekends through October 19 at the Abbey Theater of Dublin, 5600 Post Road, Dublin, Ohio. For tickets go to www.ComingOutThePlay.com/tickets, or call 1-(866) 55-TICKETS. For more about the play, visit ComingOutThePlay.com.

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