PHOTO CAPTION: Nick Beles stars in Impossible Marriage at the Santa Ana

Mission ''Impossible''

Theater Impossible Marriage Fri–Sat, July 27–28, 8pm Sun, July 29, 3pm Teatro Santa Ana Biblioteca Pública Reloj 50A 100 pesos

There are still three more performances of Impossible Marriage—the wise and witty comedy by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Beth Henley—to be presented at Teatro Santa Ana by Players’ Workshop, San Miguel’s oldest and most distinguished theater company.

The final performances are Friday and Saturday at 8pm and a 3pm Sunday matinee, which will wrap up the Players’ summer season. All seats are 100 pesos and tickets are on sale in the patio area of the Biblioteca from 10:30am to 1:30pm and also at the Santa Ana box office from 4pm to 7pm. All seats are reserved.

This comedy stars Nick Beles, Megan Pearson, Nancy Kandal, Tim Johnson, Michael Gottlieb, Jim Newell and Anna Bensaud with Rudy Hornish directing.

Come see why audiences and critics the world over have made Beth Henley one of their favorite writers. Performances of Impossible Marriage continue at the Santa Ana this weekend. We will make it our ‘mission’ to make sure you are entertained.







One girl, one voice
By Christine Foster

Theater The Diary of Anne Frank Tues, July 31–Sat, Aug 4, 7:30pm Sat, Aug 4, 3pm Sun, Aug 5, 5pm Teatro Santa Ana Biblioteca 150/250 pesos

One girl, one voice—and one book that is still helping us change our world. There are many reasons not to miss the upcoming production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play The Diary of Anne Frank. Is it entertaining? Is it a well-made play? Is it funny? Moving? Electric? The answer is a resounding “yes” on all counts. If an emotionally-charged journey is part of your definition of a must-see play, The Diary is just your ticket.

As the last of the Holocaust survivors pass on, we are losing irreplaceable first-person accounts, and will soon have to rely entirely on books, plays and textbooks to help us understand the terrors of the time. The Diary is important not only for this, but because it happens to be one of the best pieces of theater of the last fifty years. It should be seen by everyone, whether they once saw the film or read the book or not, and whether they’re 16 or 70.

While the play is undeniably heart-wrenching, its tragedy is interspersed with comic and heart-warming moments that make the overriding tension bearable, a tension only heightened by the fact that the outcome is known from the moment the Frank family first climbs the steps to their secret hiding place.

Director Michael Whaley chose Wendy Kesselman’s new adaptation because it makes use of some of Anne Frank’s writings omitted from earlier publications of the diary. This is a rawer, less sentimental, less sanitized, earthier version. By emphasizing some of the character flaws in the Franks, the humanity and vulnerability of the eight Jews hiding in Amsterdam for two years becomes even more touching and clear. 

The cast is ready. The hiding place is prepared. Innocence must once again try to outwit brutality. It is a journey not to be forgotten, or missed.

Please join this fine ensemble cast Kokila Bryne , Gerry Camp, Flor Dengreville, Jill Gottlieb, Gwenneth Holmes (as Anne), Tom King , Dennis McCarter, Istina Rubalcava, Seth Sharp, Henry Vermillion, and Larry Gassler for a memorable evening of theater.

Tickets for The Diary of Anne Frank are 150 pesos and are on sale now at the Casa de Papel on Mesones and La Tienda at the Biblioteca, and in the courtyard weekdays from 1 to 4pm. They can also be ordered from Michael Whaley at mikewhNY@aol.com. The opening night is a benefit with all proceeds going to the SPA. (250 pesos opening night only, which includes a catered party in the Café Santa Ana following the show.)





PHOTO CREDITS: Amy Chankin, Gwenneth Holmes, Peggy Powell and Michael Sudheer.

Biblioteca Pública
Reloj 50A
150 pesos (Opening night proceeds to Casita Linda)


Stop the World is unstoppable fun
By Christine Foster

Theater Stop the World, I Want to Get Off Aug 9–11, 7:30pm Sat, Aug 11, 3pm matinee Sun, Aug 10, 5pm Aug 16–18, 7:30pm Sat, Aug 18, 3pm matinee Sun, Aug 19, 5pm

Stop the World, I Want to Get Off is a satirical look at the fleeting nature of worldly success. It is also a brash, foot-tapping musical of cheeky Cockney good cheer.

Written by Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley, the latter also directed and starred in the show. It ran a year in London before going to Broadway in 1962 as an unstoppable star-vehicle.

The blundering hero of the show, Littlechap, tries hard to be a ringmaster in the Circus of Life but is mowed down by the elephants of Fate at every turn. His dreams are energetic but superficial: get laid, get rich, get promoted, get elected. These goals keep him busy but prevent him from discovering how to make himself, his wife, his two daughters or anyone else happy.

Director Michael Whaley has recreated the original sparkling circus analogy of Littlechap’s mad and sometimes menacing world with deliciously farcical costuming and a Big Top setting. Members of the all-singing, all-dancing, all-girl Clown Chorus comfort, cheer and mock the hero on his journey.

Forty-five years after its first opening, the barnstorming bounce and style of Stop the World isn’t dated. Nor have hit tunes like “Once in a Lifetime,” “What Kind of Fool Am I?” and “Gonna Build a Mountain.” What has changed, of course, is the context of this perplexed everyman’s life. This is a Cold War, pre-Women’s Lib world. There is outrageous fun to be had in comparing the jaw-dropping stereotypes of the early sixties with our politically correct entertainments of today. The show delights in over-the-top, wild and wacky theatricality—all with tongue firmly planted in cheek—and it’s a hoot.

The production stars Michael Sudheer as the befuddled but sympathetic Littlechap and Amy Chankin as his long-suffering wife and—in three show-stopping numbers—his three astonishingly opinionated mistresses. Peggy Powell and Gwenneth Holmes play Littlechap’s daughters. Rounding out the chorus are Grete Nilsson Amblie, Libby Clemens, Jean Dorr, Martha Holmes, Peggy Lee, Azzah Mannikoy and Alephbalam Cruz Ramirez. Musical Direction is by Liz Stone with band members Tom Search (percussion), Libby Clemens (violin) and Karen Harding (bassoon).

Tickets 150 pesos per person and go on sale Monday, July 30 at La Tienda at the Biblioteca, as well as outside the Teatro Santa Ana and at Casa de Papel on Mesones, or email Michael Whaley at MikewhNY@aol.com  for reservations.

The opening night on Aug 9 is a fundraiser with all proceeds to benefit Casita Linda. There will be a meet-the-cast party and reception following the performance.