FUDDY MEERS Comes to Switchyard Theatre Company Next Month

Following up on their successful NC premiere of The Half-Life of Marie Curie, Switchyard Theatre Company launches their second season with the dark comedy mystery, Fuddy Meers. The play tells the story of Claire, an amnesiac, who is whisked away from her husband and son by a mysterious stranger, and slowly realizes the truth behind her condition on a wild road trip with an assortment of oddball characters.

Fuddy Meers - one character's pronunciation of the "funny mirrors" found in a funhouse - was the first theatrical success for author David Lindsay-Abaire in 1999, who went on to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. An ensemble cast brings the poignant and brutal comedy to life. Maggie Lea plays Claire, with Jason Christ as her doting husband with a secret of his own, and Jacob Berger as her perpetually-stoned son. Popular local actress Julie Oliver, who recently played the title role in Burning Coal Theatre's production of The Life of Galileo, plays Gertie, who knows the truth about daughter Claire but speaks only gibberish due to a stroke. Rounding out the cast of characters are Romane Durham as the puppet-toting Millet; Pat Luftman as Heidi, a policewoman with a past; and Thom Haynes as the darkly mysterious "Limping Man."

The show's overarching theme - that everyone distorts their messages, and trustworthy sources of information can be subverted - is particularly relevant today. "What does it take to believe the truth, especially if you're not exactly sure it's true?" says director Jeff Aguiar. "One of the most thrilling aspects of this show is playing with ideas of right and wrong; good and bad. Are these absolute truths or is there space between shared reality and what we alone believe?"

Performances run from October 20-28 at Burning Coal Theatre at the Murphey School, 224 Polk St., Raleigh NC 2760. Tickets for all performances are $25 general admission, $20 for seniors and $10 for students, with a 10% discount for previous ticket purchasers and email list subscribers. Tickets are available online at https://switchyard.ticketleap.com/.