By STU CLAMPITT
news@readthereporter.com
Hamilton County has a strong theater community and some of our local talent will be on stage in nearby Boone County this month. Critic’s Choice is coming to Center Stage Community Theatre (CSST), 604 Powell St., Lebanon, for three weeks this month starting March 10. Three of the seven-member cast and Director Jan Jamison are from Hamilton County.
According to Jamison, the show is about a Broadway critic who is in his second marriage.
Photo provided by Director Jan Jamison
“His first wife was this glamorous Broadway star,” Jamison said. “They had a son who is now 12 and lives with his father and the second wife, who is more of a homebody. You can tell he likes that a lot more than being the husband of a star who’s never home.”
The critic’s new wife writes a play, which he hates on first reading. Herein lies the dilemma. Does he go to the opening and write an honest critic, jeopardizing his marriage, or not attend the play, jeopardizing his job?
Throw in the critic’s ex-wife wanting him back, the producer who may or may not be making a play for his current wife, the sarcastic son who he pays to come up with zingers to use in his critiques, and the mother-in-law with her sage advice. The stage is set for a comedy the New York Times once called “fresh and funny.”
Critic’s Choice was both a Broadway play starring Henry Fonda and a 1963 movie starring Bob Hope and Lucille Ball.
Jamison told The Reporter she first heard about the play when watching a re-run of the gameshow Password hosted by Allen Ludden.
“He said he was doing a play in Pasadena called Critic’s Choice and I thought, ‘oh, I’m going to look that up.’” Jamison said. “I loved it because it’s intelligent. It has some very thoughtful humor, but it’s also a little bit of a drama because of the friction between the husband and wife when she’s doing the play. I really loved the dialogue and the way it was written.”
CSCT is a small venue with seating limited to 50 people per show. Plan to reserve your tickets well in advance. The cost is $17 for adults 18 and older, and $15 for seniors and for students with ID. Go to maingatetickets.com/events/view/1459 or call (765) 894-5587 for tickets.
