I Ought to be in Pictures
I Ought
to be in Pictures
Sponsored by SC Johnson, A Family Company
A funny and touching comedy by Neil Simon I Ought to Be in Pictures opens April 22 and runs eight performances over two weekends until May 1. Daytime performances of the show are being offered to area seventh graders.
Neil Simon is America's unofficial king of comedy writing, and in his later years he has shifted into more serious dramas, winning numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize in 1991 for Lost in Yonkers. I Ought to Be in Pictures opened on Broadway in 1980, and Simon also wrote the screenplay for the 1982 movie, which starred Walter Matthau.
I Ought to Be in Pictures follows the dreams of Libby Tucker, a feisty, fast-talking 19-year-old from Brooklyn. She and her infant brother were raised by her mother after her father left when she was three. Libby hitchhikes to Los Angeles to look up her father, a screenwriter in Hollywood, hoping he can use his connections to get her into an acting career.
For Herb Tucker, a man who has not seen his children for 16 years, having Libby on his doorstep is a bit of a shock. He is living in a rundown house, not nearly as successful at his career as Libby thought. He is also a master at avoiding commitment and is currently suffering from writer's block.
This is the setting for these two dissimilar characters to meet, talk, connect, and ultimately grow close. Libby is a brash talker, which disguises her insecurities and resentments of a father she never knew. Herb is vulnerable and guilt-ridden and hasn't a clue of how to suddenly act like a parent.
Sounds funny, doesn't it? While it may not sound all that funny, it really is. The charm of the comedy is watching the father and daughter begin to connect, all the while tossing off trademark Simon laugh lines. "I'll make you breakfast tomorrow morning. You like waffles?" Herb asks Libby. "You can make waffles?" she says. Herb replies, "I just pop them in the toaster." When Herb tries to tell his daughter about the birds and bees, it's one laugh after another.
The undercurrent of the comedy is the theme of family rallying to support each other. Herb's patient girlfriend Steffy is the third character in the mixture, and she seems to personify loyalty and a voice of reason between the father and daughter.
I Ought to Be in Pictures opened on Broadway in 1980, with the critics praising its comedy, sentiment and characters.
"I Ought to Be in Pictures is terrific," wrote critic Clive Barnes. "Simon explores the world of middle-class creative angst. ... The seriousness is enhanced by bouncing maniacally on a joke like a trampoline."
"One of the most funny and touching shows to arrive on Broadway this season" - Back Stage
"The play has a heart. It features some of Simon's most charming writing. It distills performances that are brick-solid and genuinely touching." - New York Daily News
"The errant-father to tough-yet-vulnerable daughter relationship could not be portrayed more vigorously, touchingly or amusingly." - John Simon, New York Magazine.
I Ought to Be in Pictures opens April 22 and runs two weekends through May 1. Call the box office at 633-4218 to order tickets or for further information. You won't want to miss this very human comedy that touches the heart.
From the Managing/Artistic Director - Doug Instenes
A Play That Reaches Out
Each year the spring bonus show is what we call an "Outreach" play, which means it includes daytime performances for area middle-school students. This play must be both entertaining and contains serious themes relevant for today's youth. A must-see for families with teen-agers.
We are delighted that the Outreach show this year is a Neil Simon comedy I Ought to Be in Pictures. This play will touch people of all ages, or anyone who has been a child or a parent. While this is a very funny play, it still deals with a serious issue - family relationships.
Herb and Libby Tucker meet and get to know each other again after many years. By supporting and learning from each other, they both become stronger, which is what families do.
In these days of many separated and divorced families, it's nice to see a play that shows us the possibility to re-connect with each other. A great separation of time and distance can be bridged when two people begin to get to know each other. Forgiveness and understanding is always possible.
Since I Ought to Be in Pictures is a play about people who reach out to each other, it is a perfect vehicle for our Outreach play. In these days of diminishing budgets for school extra-curricular activities, we feel it is even more important that the Racine Theatre Guild continue its mission of providing plays for both grade school and middle school children. For many students, this is the first and possibly the only time they discover the joy of live theatre. They learn that a play can both amuse and educate, and perhaps it will instill a life-long love of theatre.
Please join us for laughter and touching emotion for this bonus show. And, please look over the selections for Season 68, and join us as a season ticket holder for next year, too..
I Ought to be in Pictures
by Neil Simon
Director.........................Beth Johnstone Bush
Cast
Libby .......................... Tristin Hafenscher
Steffy ..........................
Connie Rogers
Herb ........................... Kevin O'Donnell
Crew
Technical Dir. ............... Kurt Oian
Scenic Designer ............ Lizz Otto-Cramer
Prod. Stage Manager .... Rose Bliss
Stage Manager ............. Marge Henze
Asst. St. Mgr. ............... Mike Pirtle
Costume Design ........... Nikki Maritch
Light Design ................. Michael Kurhajec
Light Technicians .......... Jeri Smith, Betty White & Russ Stetler
Sound Designer ............ Eric Goodwin
Sound Tech. ................. Donna Nielsen
Props Chair .................. Heather Bumstead
Props Crew .................. David Zimmerman
The above was first published in the Racine Theatre Guild's newsletter The Callboard and is written by volunteer Nancy Moldenhauer, a free-lance writer.