Entertainment
“A Taste of Tuesdays” at Westport Country Playhouse
By Westport Country Playhouse
Mar 27, 2008 - 12:38:59 AM

Westport Country Playhouse (Joanne Woodward and Anne Keefe, artistic directors, Jodi Schoenbrun Carter , managing director) will present “A Taste of Tuesdays,” on Tuesday, April 1, featuring a pre-show tasting of wines and appetizers, followed by a performance of the delicious comedy, “Time of My Life.” Admission price is $15 for the reception and one complimentary ticket to the evening’s preview performance.

Beginning at 7 p.m., a pre-show reception in the Playhouse’s main lobby will offer a tasting of new, spring season wines from Castle Wine and Spirits and appetizers from Collyer Catering. Guests are invited to stay for the 8 p.m. performance of “Time of My Life” by Alan Ayckbourn, reuniting author, director and cast members from one of last season’s biggest hits, “Relatively Speaking.”

“Time of My Life” takes a touching and clever look at the fragility of family trees. Family patriarch Gerry Stanton gets together with his boys at their favorite restaurant to celebrate their mother’s 54th birthday. Everything on the surface seems alright, but after a bit of a mess at dinner, things take a unique turn for each couple. The London Times said, “Funny, very funny, and not at all funny: quintessentially Ayckbourn.”

Cast members are Jason Antoon, Geneva Carr, Carson Elrod, Cecilia Hart, Seana Kofoed, James Waterston and Paxton Whitehead. Carr, Hart, Waterston and Whitehead were a smash hit last season on the Playhouse stage in “Relatively Speaking.” Elrod received acclaim for his performance in “The Drawer Boy” at the Playhouse in 2006. “Time of My Life” director John Tillinger helmed the Playhouse productions of “Relatively Speaking” and “The Drawer Boy.”

Advance reservations are required by calling Jenn Bond, community relations liaison, at (203) 227-5137, x 120, or email groups@westportplayhouse.org.

The full schedule for “Time of My Life” will run from April 1 through April 26, with performances Tuesday at 8 p.m., Wednesday at 2 and 8 p.m., Thursday and Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 4 and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Special series will feature Previews, Opening Nights, TalkBack Thursdays, Prologue, Symposium Sundays, Backstage Pass and Open Captioning.

Following a multi-million dollar renovation completed in 2005, the Playhouse is now open year-round, welcoming 85,000 audience members annually. On its legendary stage are theatrical productions, educational programming and special events, including films, readings of short fiction and new plays, and a Family Festivities series. The rich history of the Westport Country Playhouse dates back to 1931, when New York theatre producers Lawrence Langner and his wife Armina Marshall created a Broadway-quality stage within an 1830s cow barn. Now celebrating its 78th season, the Playhouse has produced more than 700 plays, 35 of which later transferred to Broadway. Its roster of actors reads like a "Who's Who" of the American theatre. Westport Country Playhouse serves as a treasured home for the performing arts for audiences and artists alike, and as a true cultural landmark for Connecticut .

“Time of My Life” board of trustees sponsors are Kim and Niv Harrizman. The Playhouse is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization.

Westport Country Playhouse is located at 25 Powers Court , off Route 1, Westport . Information about the Playhouse is available at www.westportplayhouse.org.

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