'Bed Ride' opens on Friday
Twinkie (Issy McAvinew, right) explains how to cook to a surprised Agatha Outhaus (Carrie Glencoe, left) during a rehearsal of "Bed Ride" Thursday.
SOAP LAKE - A very pregnant wife, a deep dark plot to keep a job and another to dodge the bad guys, a girl named Twinkie, true love at first sight, bird watchers, the bad guys looking for revenge and burned pancakes.
It all happens in the Outhaus bedroom. It's all part of "Bed Ride," a bedroom farce that will receive its world premiere performance Friday at the Masquers Theater, 322 Main Ave., Soap Lake.
"Bed Ride" is the first play by Matthew Weaver, of Spokane, a former Columbia Basin Herald reporter. The story revolves around Bob and Agatha Outhaus, who are spending most of their days in bed. Agatha (played by Carrie Glencoe) is pregnant, very pregnant, and stuck on bed rest. Her husband Bob (Ken Greene) writes an outdoor column. In the way of clumsy hikers, he has broken both his legs. That's a problem, because his bosses think he's still out there working, and he hasn't told them otherwise.
Bob's brother Simon (Jeffrey Ames), who's not quite as crooked as a corkscrew, stops by to help out, bringing his new girlfriend Twinkie (Issy McAveniew). The fact he's already got a girlfriend doesn't stop Simon from instantly falling in love with Joan (Holli Bosnar), the visiting nurse, who "kind of has a thing for bad boys," Weaver said.
In fact, Simon is in town hiding from bad guys who were silly enough to trust him. One of them (Lui Navarro) has tracked Simon to his hideout.
"Gangsters and thieves, and bird watchers and all kinds of stuff," Weaver said.
Greene is a playwright himself, and he said it helps him appreciate how hard Weaver worked to build the characters. Bob Outhaus is a guy who cares about his family, Greene said, both his brother and his wife. "He (Bob) is a nice guy."
"It's going to be really funny," said director Beverly Hasper. That is due in part to the playwright, who has a great sense of humor. "He sees humor everywhere," Hasper said.
Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 28, 29 and July 5, 6 and 12, 13; and matinee performances at 2 p.m. Sunday and July 7 and 14. Tickets are $12 for adults, $10 for students and seniors. There's a special on opening night price of $9 per ticket.