ALTON - Alton Little Theater follows up the very popular run of WHO'S IN BED WITH THE BUTLER with the funniest new comedy around in less than 30 Days! EXIT LAUGHING by Paul Elliott has been likened to be part "Golden Girls" and part "Designing Women" in that it relies on characters who are, well, 'characters.'
Yes, the play's initial premise is that we lose good friends and things can get difficult in the later years of life - but WAIT - the play is not at all about death but about living life to the fullest. When the biggest highlight of your life for the past thirty years has been your weekly card night out with the girls, what do you do when one of your foursome inconveniently dies?
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If you're Connie, Leona and Millie, three southern ladies from Birmingham you do the most daring thing you've ever done. You "borrow" the ashes from the funeral home for one last card game and the wildest, most exciting night of their life begins with a police raid, a stripper, mega-laughs and a whole new way of looking at all the fun you can have when you're truly living.
It turns out that the departed Mary has a lot to say through messages and gifts she has arranged to arrive after her death - she sets in motion a new beginning for her friends and even a recalcitrant daughter comes to understand the difference between living and just existing.
Karen Wilson (Leona), Diana Kay (Millie) and Lee Cox (Connie) took on the lovely ladies armed with one-liners and quirky personalities and bring their own survival tactics for aging to the ensemble. Their history and genuine camaraderie came together quickly as it needed to in a short rehearsal schedule and they are well suited to friends who know how to push one another's buttons but are clearly happiest when they're together!
Tiffany Bowen (Rachel) and Nick Trapp (Bobby) take on the pivotal roles of the "kids;" Rachel's broken date with her psychology major classmate lends much to the mayhem and madness of the play's actions. Sharing memories and uncovering some secrets from the ladies's past has never been so much fun
The audience might just laugh until they cry with this one because nobody does dealing-with-a-crisis- better than the Southern ladies of EXIT LAUGHING. Tickets are just $17 for the comedy, which runs March 16th through 25th.
This play is NOT recommended for students due to the slightly risque' talk that flows in the course of learning about the past disillusionment the ladies have had in their lives, especially in relation to men. But not to worry - the end of the play and even some postscript photos in the Dorothy Colonius foyer - will show the audience what picking up the pieces of your life and starting over can look like in grand style.
EXIT LAUGHING marks the directing debut of one of ALT's most popular actresses herself, Gail Drillinger. The Theater "discovered" the play when Springfield Community Theater produced it two years ago and encountered three weeks of solid sold out houses, so Lee Cox ordered the script, passed it around to several directors, and Gail fell in love with the characters and the chance to give ALT audiences a positive message about dealing with adversity.
Call 618-462-3205 for EXTRA Tickets (bring friends and make it a party!) or purchase online at www.altonlittletheater.org.
Tickets for ALT's 85th Season go on EARLY-BIRD SALE March 1st, 2018 and so theater patrons can purchase Season Tickets (and even Showcase Bonus Production Tickets) at substantial savings (40% off) while attending the funniest spring-fling of a show!
