The Lake Country Players performed two one-act plays in its latest production, which ended Sunday at Festival Hall in Greensboro.
Directed by Mo Brower and Art Shutt, “Mere Mortals” and “I Hate Shakespeare!” mark the first time audience members were treated to two separate one-act plays in one production.
“Mere Mortals” starred Jim Bedsole as Charlie, Heath Burton as Joe, and Nick Roberts as Frank. Three construction workers on a lunch break high above New York City pass the time by playing a game, “Can You Top This?”
Each shares outrageous stories of their secret past lives and grand identities, which start as playful boasting before suddenly becoming witty and imaginative explorations of ego, identity, and tall tales many have told about themselves. These three actors had audience members almost believing.
“I Hate Shakespeare!” by Steph DeFerie showcased some of Shakespeare’s most famous plays as they would apply in the modern world. Spoofs inspired by pop culture favorites like “The Dating Game” and “The Jerry Springer Show” made Shakespeare’s world somewhat funny in a style reminiscent of “Saturday Night Live.”
The large cast included faces old and new and marked the 30th production for actress/singer Debbie McCown, who is also one of the founding members of Lake Country Players.
Sherry Shutze, as Judy Lange from “The Dating Game,” celebrated her 17th production with LCP. Other cast members included Rusty Faulk, Pastor Brandon Groome, Heath Buron, Raymon Burns, Jim Bedsole, Jamie Baggett, Erin McCurry, Nick Roberts, Tracey Pitocchelli, Greg Tantum, Suzanne Vest, Michael Wells, and Assistant Director Art Shutt.
Next from the Lake Country Players is the musical “Come From Away” by Irene Sankoff and David Hein that tells the true story of the 7,000 airline passengers stranded in Gander, Newfoundland, after the Sept. 11th attacks and the small town that welcomed them with open arms.
The show received the Olivier Award for Best New Musical.
Dates for this show will be Nov. 5-8 and Nov. 12-14. For further information, visit lakecountryplayers.org.