CABIN FIVER: Five comedies to chase away the winter blues
April 9-25; Fri/Sat @ 7:30pm, Sun @ 2pm
Freeport Performing Arts Center
$10 in advance, $15 at the door

Part IV: “Miss You”, by David Auburn

Alicia (l) and Anne (r) rehearse Miss You

Admit it: at least once in your life you have left someone hanging to see if a better offer would come along. David Auburn’s short play shows us “relationship musical chairs” in the cellphone age.

At auditions, director Mike Clements described the scenario sort of like this: “Woman is dating Man. Woman spent the day with Man 2 yesterday. Man 2 is dating Woman 2.” The challenge for the actors has been to convey a range of emotions — from excitement and anticipation to disillusionment and anger — all in six minutes and all without ever looking at each other. Of course that is both the beauty and beast of modern technology.

“Miss You” is directed by Mike Clements (An American Werewolf In London, WFCP Home Time Radio Hour) and stars Alicia Ouellette as Woman, Jake Junkins as Man, Erik Tainter as Man 2 and Anne Corbin as Woman 2. Only Jake has worked with the Players before, in the tech booth. We’re pleased to have all of them on the boards with this show.

Warning: Woman 2 gets quite angry with Man 2 and gives him a brief but “colorful” tongue lashing that would not be appropriate for young or sensitive ears.

CABIN FIVER: Five comedies to chase away the winter blues
April 9-25; Fri/Sat @ 7:30pm, Sun @ 2pm
Freeport Performing Arts Center
$10 in advance, $15 at the door

Part IV: “Wanda’s Visit”, by Christopher Durang

Some guests are like fish: after about three days you’re gonna want to throw ‘em out. Wanda is just such a guest.

In Durang’s comedy about the guest from hell, things are already strained in Jim and Marsha’s home. Their marriage can at best be described as stale. Jim is oblivious. Marsha is annoyed. They are bored. Jim’s high school girlfriend — Wanda — arrives, and shakes things up with her vivaciousness and somewhat erratic behavior. Jim (Sven Johnson) and Marsha (Beth Chasse) play straight men to Wanda (Julia Reddy), as she tries every tactic in her arsenal to work her way into their lives. Sven, Beth and Julia are directed by Mike Clements.

Sven Johnson (Jim) and Julia Reddy (Wanda) in rehearsal for "Wanda's Visit"

Note: This play contains a brief moment of adult language.

CABIN FIVER: Five comedies to chase away the winter blues
April 9-25; Fri/Sat @ 7:30pm, Sun @ 2pm
Freeport Performing Arts Center
$10 in advance, $15 at the door

Part III: “Chocolate Cake”, by Mary Gallagher

“ANNOUNCER: …rich…creamy…goodness…the most delicious ice cream in the world…
“AnneMarie stares at the TV, besotted, for a moment…She goes to kitchen area, takes chair from table…places it under high cupboard, climbs on it, opens cupboard, takes down a white bakery box containing the chocolate cake. She turns forward, as if to jump down, hesitates, peeks into box, sniffs cake…then quickly she turns, puts box back in cupboard, slams cupboard door, jumps down, pulls chair away to table, sits. Now what?”

What happens next is the most tender of the five comedies that make up Cabin Fiver. “Chocolate Cake” stands out as being less hilarious but much more “real” than the other four. Have you ever found yourself staring into a cupboard considering whether Baker’s chocolate goes with canned tuna?
Have you ever paired a loaded pizza with a can of Tab? Women in the audience will certainly relate to either innocent country girl AnneMarie Fitzer or brash New Yorker Delia Baron as they discover how much they have in common…not the least of which is an abiding love/hate relationship with food.

“Chocolate Cake” stars Carmela Masterson as Delia and Madeleine Paine as AnneMarie. Carmela has appeared in FCP productions twice before: as Meg in Crimes Of The Heart and M’Lynn in Steel Magnolias. We are thrilled to have her back after her long hiatus. Madeleine is new to us, but not new to theater. She has been part of the ensemble cast of A Christmas Carol at Portland Stage Company (which is how we found out about her), and she is appearing in Yours, Anne, a musical based on Anne Frank’s diary, running at Old Port Playhouse until March 21. They are directed by Sara Stelk, who directed Side Man for the Players last fall, among others.

Note: Although this particular play does not, other plays in the showcase do contain adult language.

CABIN FIVER: Five comedies to chase away the winter blues
April 9-25; Fri/Sat @ 7:30pm, Sun @ 2pm
Freeport Performing Arts Center
$10 in advance, $15 at the door

Part II: “Babel’s In Arms”, by David Ives

“Oh wow. Oh wow… All say ‘Oh Wow’.” — Priestess

If you’ve never seen a David Ives play…where have you been? He’s a favorite of theaters everywhere, with good reason. He is a master at mind-benders and clever twists and approaches everything with wit and humor. Freeport Players have drawn from the David Ives well once before, performing “The Philadelphia”, “Words, Words, Words” (which explores whether, given a typewriter and enough time, a monkey will, in fact, compose Hamlet) and “Time Flies” (just what do mayflies do during their one day of life?).

In “Babel’s In Arms”, Ives imagines the creation of the Tower of Babel from the point of view of two Mesopotamian construction workers. Ives doesn’t limit himself to an historically accurate rendering of the event. He uses modern character stereotypes and intentional anachronisms to poke fun in this “what if” piece.

Our production stars Don Libby (Bedtime Stories: Home Free & Flyboy) as Gorph and Joe Lembo (The Perfect Party) as Canaphlit, the two constructions workers. They are supported by Ginny Lawrence as the high-powered businesswoman in charge of the construction project and Barbara Bardack (”Peaches” and others in Radio) as the Priestess who blesses the project assisted by her eunuch, played by Nick Rendall. The cast is directed by Sara Stelk (Side Man).

Warning: This play contains occasional expletives (specifically F@&# and variations). Parents should consider whether it will be suitable for children before bringing them to the show.

CABIN FIVER: Five comedies to chase away the winter blues
April 9-25; Fri/Sat @ 7:30pm, Sun @ 2pm
Freeport Performing Arts Center
$10 in advance, $15 at the door

Part I: “The Tarantino Variation”, by Seth Kramer

“Mr. Mauve: Freeze!
Mr. Fuschia: Don’t move!
Mr. Puce: Hold it!
Mr. Mauve: Put it down.
Mr. Fuschia: Not until he drops his.
Mr. Puce: No way.
Mr. Mauve: I mean it.
Mr. Fuschia: So do I.
Mr. Puce: You’re going to have to pry this gun out of my cold, dead hand.
Mr. Fuschia: That can be arranged.
Mr. Mauve: Do it and I kill you.
Mr. Fuschia: Not before I kill this guy.
Mr. Puce: You shoot, then I shoot.
Mr. Mauve: Okay, then.”

Thus begins the Mexican standoff in this spoof of Reservoir Dogs, in which playwright Seth Kramer riffs on Quentin Tarantino’s tough guy characters, abrupt transitions, and trademark male banter.

Kramer is the artistic director and founder of Word of Mouth Productions. His short plays have been selected for nationally known play festivals and garnered numerous awards. Perhaps his biggest splash was made with Swim Shorts and Swim Shorts II, two collections of short plays inspired and performed at the rooftop pool at the West 57th Street Holiday Inn in Manhattan. In other words, the guy’s clever. “The Tarantino Variation” is one of seven short plays in the collection After The Beep.

Our production stars Joe Lembo (The Perfect Party) as Mr. Fuschia , Don Libby (Bedtime Stories: Home Free & Flyboy) as Mr. Mauve, and new kid on the FCP block Nick Rendall as Mr. Puce, directed by Sara Stelk (Side Man).

Warning: Although this particular play does not contain any expletives (remarkable given the characters), other plays in the showcase do contain adult language.