Masquers opens 2018-19 season Oct. 19
Courtesy photo Members of the Masquers Theater company gathered down at the saloon for the annual ‘membership gala,’ the kickoff to the 2018-19 season.
SOAP LAKE — The Masquers Theater company will kick off its 2018-19 season with a bit of a twist, with its annual musical as the first production of the year. “The Unsinkable Molly Brown” premieres Oct. 19. The company held its annual “Membership Gala” in late August.
Clifford and Stacey Bresee, Coulee City, and Jeff Ames, Moses Lake, were added to the company’s Hall of Fame. The “Mopet” Award was given to Adam and Mistya Zaleski for their work during the 2017-18 season, onstage and behind the scenes. Rosalee Chamberlain received the Blooper Award.
Allison Pheasant and Jeremy Hansen, the lead actors for “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” sang a duet from the show during the gala. The play tells the story – more or less – of Margaret Brown, best known as a survivor of the sinking of the “Titanic,” hence the unsinkable part. But Brown’s story is a gold mine of drama – including a literal gold mine, actually, and a love story. The 1960 musical ran on Broadway for a year and a half and was made into a movie starring Debbie Reynolds in 1964.
The show runs weekends through Nov. 11.
The annual Christmas musical, “The Rented Christmas,” opens Nov. 30. The play follows the story of John Dale, who wants a real Christmas, and decides to rent it from the lady who owns the local rental shop. Stacey Bresee is the director.
The drama “The Humans” follows a family dealing with the march of time. The play opened on Broadway in 2016 and tells the story of the Blake family’s Thanksgiving dinner. The Masquers production premieres Feb. 15 and is directed by Cheri Barbre.
“I Hate Shakespeare” tries to change the minds of people who – well, hate Shakespeare. Shakespeare’s repertoire is run through the wringer, and includes a pie in the face for somebody. The show opens April 12 and will be directed by Patrick Rosman.
The company winds up its season with “Arsenic and Old Lace,” opening June 14. It’s a classic, opening on Broadway in 1941 and running for more than three years. It was made into a movie starring Cary Grant in 1944.
Mortimer Brewster has a problem – his two elderly aunts have gone nuts, and they are murdering lonely old men they attract to the family’s stately home. Adam Zaleski is the director of the Masquers production.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at education@columbiabasinherald.com.