How the Other Half Lovesby Alan Ayckbourn Media Sponsor: Season Sponsor: Performed in the Cantey V. Sutton Theatre On this page:
Director's notes from the playbillI must confess that when I first read Alan Aykbourn’s How the Other Half Loves, I was more than a little concerned. Here was a show that, at first glance, was not exactly a love-letter to the institution of marriage. Peopled with three smart, educated and reasonably sophisticated couples that, it appeared, didn’t have a single likable or redeemable bone in their collective bodies. They seemed mean-spirited, deceptive, clueless and just plain sad. How in the world was I going to get anyone to laugh at these people?
Thankfully the process of getting the show up and running proved the old adage that first impressions can indeed be deceiving. In its off-beat way, the play is not at all the jaundiced, disparaging look at relationships that I initially thought. Rather it turns out to be a sly and affectionate look at the thousand daily kindnesses and cruelties that make up every marriage. Frank, Fiona, Terry, Bob, Mary and William are eccentric, lovable and, yes, flawed folk caught up in a ridiculous situation – and they react accordingly.
All that does is make them human, which, as anyone knows, is rather silly to begin with. What became abundantly evident is that, in their uniquely insane fashion, these couples really do love one another, warts and all. Even Terry and Bob Phillips, who seem to be a match made by the devil himself, have a streak of passion between them that only someone you love can truly inspire.
Trying to make a comedy work is not unlike the old alchemist’s trick of trying to spin straw into gold. Incorporating the fun that the playwright has with manipulating the unities of time and space only adds more layers to this challenge. Throughout this process, I have been fortunate enough to work with a cast and production team that has provided me with no less than an embarrassment of riches. Watching this group of actors embrace their roles with such creativity, energy and imagination and then inhabit the deliriously inventive world that Rick, Vicki and Roger have designed for the show has been more fun than people should be allowed to have on weeknights. -- Kevin Ferguson The Stage Manager's musingsWhen we cast "How the Other Half Loves" by Alan Ayckbourn, I knew that this show would be exemplary. We had such an incredible pool of talent to choose from that I did not envy Kevin regarding the choices he had to make. Several of these actors had worked together often and easily welcomed our two new actors into the RLT family. Throughout the rehearsal period, a wonderful camaraderie developed among the cast that would later include everyone who participated within the production.
Kevin Ferguson, our director, performed excellently during the rehearsal and organizational process. Regarding the cast, he needed only to illustrate his vision for the show once or twice and then left them to their own character development. With respect to the designers and technical aspects, Kevin gave creative input, but was very flexible to allow the staff to integrate their individual artistry throughout the entire process.
The actors created unique caricatures that meshed well into a terrific ensemble. However, several instances were noteworthy to me. I believe that Adrienne Morton cast herself as Mary Detweiler by her "reaction to alcohol" while auditioning. With minimal direction during the audition, this scene indicated that Adrienne understood the role and was the obvious choice to portray Mary. Jack Prather created William Detweiler as someone that I would never like to personally meet. Jack's performance was so excellent that I was extremely embarrassed for him (imagine how Mary might have felt).
I have worked with Amy Flynn many times before and have come to rely greatly upon her performances. She gave Fiona Foster a great comic turn and made the character very believable, not too "over-the-top." For me, Amy's performance was the "rock" of the show; she was able to create stability for other actors whose characters were much more "larger-than-life". This experimentation by the others also contributed to the comedy of Fiona; some of her simple actions became incredibly comical, such as her facial expressions realized while socializing with Mary and William Detweiler.
David McClutchey always amazes me when I see him on stage. His portrayal of Bob Phillips was a comical creation that I enjoyed during the run of the show. Members of the crew and audience particularly enjoyed his "Superman" scene. The scene was scripted well for its comic value, but David added the silent "Up, up and away" segment when he "flew" back into his bedroom. It was totally unrehearsed and sprung on us during the first weekend of the show. Tracey Phillips gave a raw edge to her role of Terry Phillips that integrated well with Bob Phillips. Terry's playfulness was observed in Tracey during rehearsals as she engaged in a "gag" competition with other members of the cast and crew.
Rob Jenkins (Frank Foster) is a true friend to everyone within the RLT community. I have worked with Rob in many shows and find it difficult to determine which of his roles are my favorites. His portrayal of Frank is definitely among his best work. I was informed by one audience member, who knows Rob very well, that he didn't even recognize him as Frank until halfway through the opening act. Several of Frank's "reactions" on stage led to laughing fits from the backstage crew.
The technical designers were Rick Young (scenic), Roger Bridges (technical), Vicki Olson (costumes), Ed Bodell (sound) and Jim Bates (props). They created a wonderful atmosphere for all of us to work in, both on and off the stage. I was blessed with terrific nightly technical crews and a "tag-team" of three Assistant Stage Managers (ASM): Debbie Bare, Debi Rodi and Staci Sabarsky. Their management skills regarding the cast, crew and "doorbell" made my job very easy.
The last two performances, however, created a historic challenge for me. I have volunteered at RLT for thirteen years and have stage-managed six shows to date. During my experiences, I have never been involved in a show where the headset communication system became inoperative. During our last Saturday performance, I lost contact with Sound in the opposite booth and Staci backstage. Fortunately, my experienced Sound crew was able to take their cues from changes in the Lights; the Lights technician sat beside me in the booth. After conferring with Staci, she was able to cue all backstage events, including several doorbells, plate crashes and cast entrances with very few errors. Since we had successfully run the show that night, the Sunday matinee, without headsets, proved to be a simple accomplishment. I owe special thanks to the cast and crew for performing under these unique circumstances. "How the Other Half Loves" was one of my favorite experiences at RLT. As a stage manager, it ranks in the top three for me, along with Inspecting Carol and Forever Plaid. I am very thankful to the dozens of people that made this show a special event during the 2003-2004 season at Raleigh Little Theatre. -- Tony Landavazo Members of the cast(in order of appearance) Fiona Foster: Amy Flynn Production crewDirector: Kevin Ferguson Box Office Volunteers: Joe Ali, Laura Barrier, Beckie Bumgardner, Harvey Bumgardner, Cornell Chappell, Patsy Clarke, Johnna Cottrell, Deanna Eckert, Joyce Donaldson, Vivian Gilfeather, Lynn Hardison, Connie McDaniel, Rose Melvin, Martha Noyes, Pats Palmer, Linda Pritchard, Linda Shore, Edythe Stanislaw, Marian Susann Costume Shop Crew: Lauren Britt, Kat Henwood, Wayne Olson, Lydia Wagner, Montana Wagner, Jean Wilkinson Dressers Crew: Lauren Britt, Kat Henwood House Managers: Keith Bugner, Patsy Clarke, Cate Foltin, Carol Friedlander, Barbette Hunter, Rose Martin, Lilo Miles, Kent Parks, Margie Taylor, Judi Wilkinson Light Crew: Kristin Young (Chief), Brian L. Hunt, Jon Mauney, Asher Robinson, Dave Sniffin, Alicia Vandyney Light Hang/Focus:David Wilk Props Crew: Jenni O’Brien (Chief ), Keith Bugner, Maria Pokryzwa, Vaishnavi Tallury, Sandra Wallace-Smith, David Wilk Public Relations Crew: Lauren Bullamore, Carolyn Busse, Liesl Clouse, Andy DeLisle, Brenda Drumwright, Brandie Grady, Meghan Kasprzak, Gerrie Kouri, Anne Miesel, Thomas Porter, Melissa Ricketts, Russell Smith, Natasha Strawn, Stuart T. Wagner Set Construction Crew: Mary Ammerman, Amy Bartley, Ed Bodell, Noel Butzke, Keith Bugner, Phil Crone, Amy Flynn, Rob Jenkins, Joe Kolb, Elisabeth Nicholaides, Jenni O’Brien, Jack Prather, John Price, Dick Shirk, Natasha Strawn, David Wilk Sound Crew: Barbara Corbin (Chief ), Sherry Derry, Brett Peterman, Keith Rothschild Special Thanks To: Arts Access for audio description; Capstone Production Group for Web hosting; Luna Designs for Web site design and maintenance; the Raleigh Chapter of the National Charity League; and PIP Printing for posters. You are here: Photo home > 2003-2004 Yearbook > How the Other Half Loves |
