LETTICE AND LOVAGE Opens 3/12 At Lakewood Theatre

Lakewood Theatre Company presents
Sir Peter Shaffer's comedy
Lettice and Lovage
March 12 - April 18, 2010

"Enlarge, Enliven, Enlighten!" is the battle cry of the exuberantly bizarre and brazenly unique Lettice Douffet. Such is the mantra of Sir Peter Shaffer's delightful play, Lettice and Lovage, which opens at Lakewood Theatre Company Friday, March 12, 2010. This charming and hilarious British comedy won Tony Awards in 1990 for its lead actors and a nomination for Best Play.

About the Play: What happens when an eccentric tour guide is assigned to the dullest house in England? After watching her groups dwindle with boredom, she begins to elaborate. As she adds wildly dramatic tales of murder and intrigue, she begins to receive ovations from her increasing audiences. Her success is cut short when the formidable head of the Preservation Trust shows up.

Directed by Diane Englert, Lettice and Lovage continues until April 18, 2010 with the following schedule: Thursdays - Saturdays at 7:30 PM, Sundays at 7:00 PM (March 14, 21, 28 and April 11) and three Sunday matinees at 2:00 PM (March 21, April 11 and 18). Ticket prices are $26 for adults and $24 for students and seniors and are available through the Lakewood Theatre Box Office at (503) 635-3901 or online at http://www.lakewood-center.org

The Story: Lettice Douffet (Lorraine Bahr), an expert on medieval cuisine and weaponry, is a tour guide of Fustian House, the most boring stately home in Britain - until she begins to embellish her tours, which become more interesting as they stray further from the facts. Charlotte "Lotte" Schoen (MaryAnne Glazebrook), sent by the Preservation Trust to investigate, is not amused and fires her. But Charlotte's passion for history draws her to Lettice's romantic world-view and the two women forge an unlikely friendship in the face of their dreary modern lives and hilarity ensues. Others in the cast include Rosalind Fell, John Morrison, Nathan Markiewicz, Clara-Liis Hillier and Steve Black.

Stage direction for Lakewood's production of Lettice and Lovage is by Diane Englert. Set design is by Rod Langdahl, lighting design is by Jeff Woods, costume design is by Patricia J. Rohrbach, sound design is by Kurt Herman, wig design is by Jane Holmes, properties are by Felix Kelsey, the stage manager is Shannon Goffe and the producer is Kay Vega.

Photo: Lorraine Bahr as Lettice Douffet and MaryAnne Glazebrook as Lotte Schoen in Sir Peter Shaffer's comedy Lettice and Lovage. Photo by Lake Oswego Photographers.