Aldrich & Associates, Inc.
Public Relations Counsel
65 Pine Avenue #320, Long Beach, CA 90802
NEWS
NOEL COWARD'S HILARIOUS "BLITHE SPIRIT" OPENS
AT HERMOSA BEACH PLAYHOUSE OCTOBER 14 - 26
HERMOSA BEACH, Calif., October 1, 2008 – The Civic Light Opera of
South Bay Cities presents the Noel Coward comedy "Blithe Spirit" October 14
– 26 (gala press party is Friday, October 17) to kick off its 2008/2009
season of award-winning, inviting and funny plays and musicals at the 500-seat
Hermosa Beach Playhouse, 170 Pier Avenue at Pacific Coast Highway, Hermosa
Beach.
Stephanie Coltrin directs this hilariously funny, brilliant and clever comedy that comes to the playhouse stage just in time for Halloween. A zany, shady medium "contacts" the host's first (and deceased) wife as he entertains his new wife and friends. A battle ensues between wives living and dead that leaves audiences rolling in the aisles with laughter.
"Blithe Spirit" stars Don Fowler as Charles, Kimberly Patterson as Ruth, Sara Borgeson as Madame Arcati and Meredith Rensa as Elvira. Suzanne Dean, Suzanne Petrela and Darrell Philip round out the cast.
Fowler returns to the Hermosa Beach stage having previously played in "The Nerd." His 20-year stage career includes playing Stanley in "A Streetcar Named Desire," and McMurphy in "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." He has been seen on HBO and Nickelodeon, various national commercials and in the feature "In Plain Sight." Patterson returns to Hermosa, having previously appearing in "Dial M for Murder," "Quilters" and "Come Back to the Five & Dime, Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean." Borgeson returns to Hermosa after "Steel Magnolias," and "ÉJimmy Dean," and the plays "The 1940s Radio Hour," "La Cage Aux Folles," "Anything Goes" and more. Rensa, another Hermosa regular, previously played in "ÉJimmy Dean," and "Steel Magnolias," and was recently added to the acclaimed sketch comedy group Dynamite Kablammo.
Scenic and lighting design for "Blithe Spirit" is Christopher Beyries, costumes by Karen L. Cornejo and Christa Armendariz, sound design by Erik Bleuer, and property mistress is Debra Box.
"'Blithe Sprit' is the absolutely perfect Halloween show," said James A. Blackman III, executive producer. "You'll escape the daily grind and get deliciously lost in the show's special effects and great spooky laughs. People who loved the movie will love this live production even better."
"Blithe Spirit" runs Tuesdays thru Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm and one performance at 7pm on Sunday, Oct. 19. Tickets are priced at $35 to $45 and can be purchased online at hermosabeachplayhouse.com or by calling (310) 372-4477. The Hermosa Beach Playhouse is located on the southwest corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Pier Avenue.
The season continues with "The Reindeer Monologues," November 4 – 16, "Sylvia," January 13 – 25, 2009, a two-week workshop of Maripat Donovan's "Til Death Do Us Part," March 17 – 29, and the world premiere of "The Green Room," May 19 – 31.
The Hermosa Beach Playhouse is a division of the Civic Light Opera of South Bay
Cities and was created for the greater South Bay area to expand the
availability of programming by providing a more intimate setting. The company is under the direction
of Blackman, Beyries, managing director, and Coltrin, artistic director.
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For
reservations to Press Night, Friday, October 17, contact: sandy@aldrichpr.com
CALENDAR
The Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities presents "Blithe Spirit" Oct. 14
– 26, 2008 at the 500-seat Hermosa Beach Playhouse, 170 Pier Avenue at
Pacific Coast Highway, Hermosa Beach. The hilariously funny, brilliant and
clever Noel Coward comedy comes to the playhouse stage just in time for
Halloween. Opens Oct. 17, runs through Oct. 26, Tuesdays
thru Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 2pm and one performance at 7pm on Sunday,
Oct. 19. Tickets $35 - $45. Call (310) 372-4477 or visit hermosabeachplayhouse.com
for tickets.
Contact:
Sandy Smith, Larry Aldrich
Aldrich & Associates, Inc.
(562) 436-5156
sandy@aldrichpr.com
or
James A. Blackman III, Stephanie A. Coltrin
Civic Light Opera of South Bay Cities
(310) 372-4477