DINNER WITH FRIENDS Will Open Next Month at Little Fish Theatre

Pulitzer Prize-winning play Dinner with Friends opens March 9 at Little Fish Theatre as the third show of the 2017 Season. Written by Guggenheim Fellowship recipient Donald Margulies, Dinner with Friends examines the complexities of a marriage and the friendships that are affected by its breakup. Directed by Mark Piatelli, this limited engagement production runs March 9 through March 26.

Gabe and Karen are a happily married middle-aged couple who have been friends with Tom and Beth, another married couple, for many years. In fact, it was Gabe and Karen who introduced their friends to each other. But while Tom is away on business, Beth tearfully reveals to Gabe and Karen that she is getting a divorce from Tom, who has been unfaithful. When Tom discovers that Beth has told their friends about the divorce, he feels he must present his own side of the story. Using flashbacks as an entertaining and revealing device, audiences will see both couples at different ages and stages of their lives. Playwright Margulies wrote Dinner "to reflect observations I'm having at that time in my life. All around us, relationships are changing, marriages are breaking up. It's those notions of impermanence, the yearning for something else that I'm tapping into."

Four Little Fish Theatre Company Members comprise the cast of this fascinating character study. As the embittered and emotional Beth, LFT is thrilled to welcome back Renee O'Connor, best known for her role as Gabrielle on TV's Xena: Warrior Princess. O'Connor was seen as Lady Macbeth in Shakespeare by the Sea's production of Macbeth. Patrick Vest (2016 BroadwayWorld Best Actor Nominated for Rubicon Theatre's Moonlight & Magnolias) takes on the role of peacemaker Gabe. Doug Mattingly (StageSceneLA Outstanding Ensemble 2014 LFT's Rapture,Blister, Burn) plays Beth's husband, the charming but brash Tom. Karen, a food writer like Gabe, is played by Christina Morrell* (StageSceneLA Outstanding Ensemble 2016 LFT's Rapture,Blister, Burn and 2014 Bus Stop) who has also worked with Coachella Valley Repertory and Chromolume Theatre.

Director Piatelli (2014 StageSceneLA Outstanding Director for LFT's Bus Stop) notes, "Dinner With Friends is a play about two couples who make a happy foursome. When one marriage dissolves in divorce, the ripple effects test the bonds of friendship." He adds, "This fun and poignant chamber piece raises questions about life choices, commitment, integrity, longevity, and how hidden desires can wreak havoc on the status quo."

Dinner with Friends runs from March 9 through March 26 on Wednesdays and Thursdays at 8:00pm, with three Sunday matinees on March 12, 19 at 2pm and 26 at 7:00pm. The March 19 show features a special Talkback session where the actors and creative team will be available for a post-show discussion with the audience. The opening night performance offers a special "First Look" price of only $23 per ticket. Regular priced tickets are $27/$25 for seniors for the remainder of the run. Tickets can be purchased online at www.littlefishtheatre.org, or reserved by phone at 310-512-6030, or by text at 424-226-6030. Popular subscription packages of Anytime Tickets are available now and can be used at any of Little Fish Theatre's regular season productions, at any time.

Founded in 2002 as an artists' ensemble, Little Fish Theatre presents classic and contemporary plays in an intimate setting on Centre Street in downtown San Pedro.

*This production is presented under the auspices of the Actors' Equity Los Angeles Membership Company Rule.

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