The Palo Alto Players invite audiences to come witness the confusion and hilarity when one seemingly ordinary man tries to balance two lives and two wives in Ray Cooney's RUN FOR YOUR WIFE. Opening June 13th at the Lucie Stern Theater in Palo Alto, this popular comedy from the author of "Funny Money" and "Move Over, Mrs. Markham" will be sure to add some heat and humor to your summer.
John Smith seems like any other normal London cabbie, except for the fact that he is secretly juggling two wives with the help of his determination and a carefully kept schedule. RUN FOR YOUR WIFE follows John as he is brought home the morning after having been hit on the head while breaking up a mugging. In his dazed confusion, he has told the police and the hospital two different "home" addresses and has been brought home to the wrong wife at the wrong time. Now he must employ the help of his unemployed and hapless neighbor, Stanley Gardner, in a madcap race against two detectives and his own lies to keep each of his wives unaware of the other.
Cooney's RUN FOR YOUR WIFE is a classic farce in the vein of Michael Frayn's "Noises Off" or Shakespeare's "Comedy of Errors". Outlandish characters, a quick plot, and unlikely events whip the cast and the audience into a hilarious frenzy by the end of the show. Indeed, the colorful characters, mistaken identities, and manic efforts to conceal or expose the truth in RUN FOR YOUR WIFE will keep people both guessing and laughing until the final curtain.
Dave Sikula, who directs the talented cast of RUN FOR YOUR WIFE, is returning to direct for the Palo Alto Players, having last directed the thought-provoking "Copenhagen" in the 2007 - 2008 season. Sikula is looking forward to the speed and timing necessary to keep a farce going. "That's the challenge;" says Sikula, "to keep things both moving and motivated so that no one - either in the play or the audience - has a chance (or a reason) to think about what just happened, or what the consequence will be." Though a farce may be absurd, Sikula says the payoff is the gift of a show that will "make us laugh and forget the real world for a couple of hours, and if they do that, well, isn't that enough?"
Palo Alto Players resident scenic designer Kuo-Hao Lo has created a physics-bending 60's throwback set that portrays both of John's two households at the same time on the same stage. The groovy costumes are by resident costumer Mary Cravens with wig design by Rande Harris. Carolyn Foot serves as lighting designer and master electrician for RUN FOR YOUR WIFE. Pat Tyler is properties designer and George Mauro acts as both sound designer and stage manager.
RUN FOR YOUR WIFE plays from June 13 - 28, 2009. The curtain lifts at 8:00pm Thursday through Saturday and 2:30pm on Sundays. Ticket prices are $30 for Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees. Students and seniors receive a $4 discount for Thursday and Sunday performances. For all ticket services call 650 329 0891 or visit www.paplayers.org. Special discounts of 20-25% for groups of 12 or more are also available.
The Lucie Stern Theater is located at 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. RUN FOR YOUR WIFE and the 78th season of Palo Alto Players is produced in cooperation with the City of Palo Alto Division of Arts and Sciences.
For all ticket services call 650-329-0891. The Lucie Stern Theater is located at 1305 Middlefield Road in Palo Alto. Visit Palo Alto Players online at www.paplayers.org.
