The Curious Savage, a comedy about greed and sanity was written by John Patrick and is being directed at Masquers by Eric Van Woert, whose Masquers directing credits include Li’l Abner in 2006 and See How The Run in 2007.  It will open on Friday, April 18. 

            “This is a play with heart and soul,” says Eric. “Even though it is a very funny comedy, it contains characters that are much deeper than they first appear to be on the surface.  This play has the best blend of deeply rich and diverse characters of any play I have directed.  At some point in the show each one has a moment to shine.”

             For those of you who are Masquers regulars, you can expect to see some familiar faces, as well as some new ones.  Cheri Barbre who plays the lead is one of the familiar ones.  People are used to seeing her as a funny

Offbeat character, but in this show she plays a sympathetic role as Edith Savage, a slightly eccentric and extremely wealthy widow.  Mrs. Savage has a philanthropic nature, and wants to put her money to good use.

            Her grown stepchildren have their own plans for her money.  In an effort to get their hands on the money they succeed in having her committed to a genteel nuthouse. Darryl Pheasant, another Masquers regular, plays Mrs. Savage’s oldest stepson who is a senator.  Jonathan Keith and Erin Morse are new comers to the Masquers stage.  They deliver strong performances as the other two stepchildren.  These siblings are clearly powerful people, but the question in the play is whether they are saner or actually crazier than Mrs. Savage’s new friends, the inmates in the sanatorium.

            Melissa Sloan, who usually plays heroine roles, is in this case one of the more off-the-wall of the mental patients.  Bob Jasman is not only a mental patient, but also a virtuoso violinist.  The others are played by Barbara Sloan, Alex Buchmann, and Marta Von Grey.  Even though these people are considered social misfits, Mrs. Savage finds them to be good hearted and feels that they deserve the kind of help she can provide, which is financial.  She then plays a game of wits with her stepchildren in order to keep control of her own money.

            John Moody and Holli Bosnar have both been on the Masquers stage before, but are not quite as familiar to most of Masquers patrons as are some of the other actors.  They each have their times to be highlighted as the doctor and the nurse.

Friday, April 18, 2008 8PM
Opening Night Special - All Seats $9