LEADING LADIES Opens Next Month at St. Dunstan's Theatre in Bloomfield Hills

18 months ago, in March of 2020, St. Dunstan's Theatre was just one week from Opening Night of the Ken Ludwig comedy, Leading Ladies. The stage was set, the costumes were ready to go, and the actors and crew were putting on the finishing touches. On March 13, 2020, rehearsals ceased, and everyone left the theatre. At first, it was assumed the show could just be pushed back a month, maybe two. Little did anyone know that it would be a year and a half until we returned to the stage to finally be able to bring Leading Ladies to a live audience! St. Dunstan's will present Leading Ladies October 15 - 30th, 2021.

In this hilarious farce, two Shakespearean actors, Leo Clark and Jack Gable, are so down on their luck that they find themselves performing "Scenes from Shakespeare" on the Moose Lodge circuit in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. When they hear that an old lady in York, PA is about to die and leave her fortune to her two long lost English nephews, they resolve to pass themselves off as her beloved relatives and get the cash. The trouble is, when they get to York, they find out that the relatives aren't nephews, but nieces! Romantic entanglements abound, especially when Leo falls head-over-petticoat in love with the old lady's vivacious niece, Meg, who's engaged to the local minister. Meg knows that there's a wide world out there, but it's not until she meets "Maxine and Stephanie" that she finally gets a taste of it.

This production is directed by Deb Dworkin (Berkley), with Eric Franz (Ferndale) and Sarah Kwas (Berkley) assistant directing. The talented cast has a close tie to the original 2004 production directed by Ken Ludwig. The character of Meg was originally played by Erin Dilly, and in the St. Dunstan's production you will find her big brother Jason Dilly (Franklin) playing the part of Leo. The rest of the St. Dunstan's cast is rounded out with Jeff Foust (West Bloomfield) as Jack, Molly Dorset (Birmingham) as Meg, Brittany Lauren (Warren) as Audrey, Tom Pagano (Clinton Township) as Duncan, Tom Arwady (Harrison Twp) as Doc, Eileen White (Warren) as Florence, and Andy McNamara (Birmingham) as Butch.

This show has a lot of talent working behind the scenes with Jake Zinke serving as the Producer, Linda Watson and Kathy Shapero as costume designers, Pam Richards heading up properties, Bronwen Mischel as sound engineer, Noah Graham & Paul Dorset as lighting designer, and Anthony Marsalese consulting on hair and makeup. The incredible set, which called for a two-story floor plan, was designed by Kevin Beam and constructed by Alan Canning and Chris Steinmayer.

St. Dunstan's will present Leading Ladies on October 15, 16, 17, 22, 23, 24, 29, and 30. All shows begin at 8:00 p.m, except for the Sunday performances on the 17th and 24th which begin at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $20 each for adults and $18 each for students and seniors. St. Dunstan's is located at 400 Lone Pine Road in Bloomfield Hills.

FOR YOUR SAFETY: FACE MASKS ARE REQUIRED by directive from Cranbrook, which owns the Playhouse. The cast and all crew are fully vaccinated. Complimentary bottled water will be available, but no other concessions. If you are sick or feel unwell, please do not attend the performance. We will be offering refunds to patrons who cannot attend due to illness.

To order tickets, or for more information - including details on parking, and seating - visit www.StDunstansTheatre.com or call 1-844-DUNSTAN (1-844-386-7826).

To post a comment, you must register and login.