THE PLEDGE at Brelby is Everything a Show Should Be

This is James Beneze's third time on stage with Brelby Theatre Co. He was previously seen as the Rat King in Quest for Claus: the Musical and can be seen in the Shakespeare in the Garden event held at the Japanese Friendship Gardens. Previous acting credits include: Nicholas in Other Places Dr. Chumley in Harvey. His previous Brelby production experience includes scenic design for The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and costumes/hair & makeup for Cold War Kids. Other credits include dramaturgy for Dog Sees God, digital media design for Lessons of Crime and Punishment and The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, and costumes for Based on a Totally True Story, Oohrah!, andCactus Flower.

Beneze described his The Pledge character, Andrew, as "a bit of a skeevy drifter who is always trying to impress the ladies by doing the completely wrong things. This show is about losing control of your life and trying to get it back, but nothing is as you thought," he continued.

"My favorite part of The Pledge," he said, "has definitely been working on the magic tricks in the show. Clayton is already a talented amateur magician and watching him work is captivating. This show will make you start to question everything you know. It's a thrill ride with several twists and turns. You'll enjoy it, trust me," said Beneze.

Katelyn Landaal, plays the reporter in The Pledge.

"This is my first time performing theater on stage," Landaal said. "However, I've always been drawn to performing," she explained. "I've done band through middle school and high school, including winter/colorguard. In college, I took up dance. As nerve wracking as it is, I love being on stage, so it was natural to gravitate toward theater. A high school friend, Devon Mahon, introduced me to Brelby and I fell in love."

Landaal described her The Pledge character as "charismatic and caring. To me," she continued, "this show is about perception verses reality. That's really what magic is about, after all. It really explores that through the interactions of the characters and the actual magic that goes on stage."

In terms of the production, Landaal said, "The cast is really fun. There is so much talent in the show. I love seeing the range the cast has. I'm also obsessed with the magic. I've gotten to learn how some of the tricks work, but others I'm still mystified about. The Pledge is everything a show should be. There's a wide range of emotions, the writing is spectacular, even down to the stage directions. The actors are so amazing. I've been excited to work with this cast since the beginning. And, as an added bonus, there's magic!"

The Pledge by Megan O'Connor is directed by Brian Maticic and plays June 16-17, 23-24, 30, July 1 at 7:30pm and June 18, 25 at 2pm.

Brelby partners with local downtown Glendale businesses to offer more options for audience members. By showing their digital ticket, audiences can receive 10% off of their bill at the Hop Stop Diner, 10% off of any entrée at Haus Murphy's Restaurant, and 10% off of a customer's bill at the Olde Towne Glendale (OTG) Beer & Wine Bar or the Gaslight Inn.

Tickets are available by visiting the official website, brelby.com/tickets. General admission is $15 per performance. Admission is included in the benefits of Brelby's ShowGO subscription: brelby.com/showgo. The Brelby Playhouse is located at 7154 N 58th Dr, Glendale, AZ 85301.