NOW PLAYING: Firehouse Theater's CLIFFHANGER

Firehouse Theater presents
Cliffhanger

By James Yaffe and Directed by Brian Brooks

Firehouse Theater presents Cliffhanger at the John Hand Theater April 8 through May 7. After years of teaching philosophy at a small western college, Professor Henry Lowenthal and his wife Polly eagerly await the announcement of Henry's appointment to an endowed chair in his department.  However, things take a drastic turn when Edith, Henry's vindictive protégé, devastates him with her plans to ruin any chance of his promotion. After pleading and rationalizing, Henry responds to Edith in a "bust" full of rage.  This violent action sets off a chain of events that lead him and Polly down a path of moral dilemmas and dark humor.  Filled with blackmail, double-crossings, and murder...Cliffhanger is a modern morality play that puts our ideals of right and wrong to the ultimate test.

The cast, under the direction of Brian Brook, includes Wade Livingston (Henry Lowenthal), Linda Orr (Polly Lowenthal), Sam Gilstrap (Melvin McMullen), Beth Davis (Edith Wilshire) and Luke Terry as Detective DeVito.
 
James Yaffe is considered a leading novelist of middle-class Jewish life in America. His stories typically involve small conflicts that are closely scrutinized within a closed society. His characters are simply drawn and situations directly presented, largely through dialogue. He's received great praise for such stories as The Deadly Game, Ivory Tower and Nobody Does You Any Favors.

Cliffhanger will be playing at the John Hand Theater/Colorado Free University, 7653 East First Place, Denver, CO April 8 through May 7. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m., Sundays, April 17 and May 7 at 6:30 p.m. with an industry Night scheduled for Tuesday, April 26 at 7:30 p.m. For tickets or more information, call the box office at 303-562-3232 or online at www.firehousetheatercompany.com. Groups of 10 or more please call 970-217-7168.

Photo credit: Brian Brooks