Cat Gonzales
Lantern Staff
This heartbreak will not leave playgoers sobbing. The “Twentieth Century” production will leave playgoers sobbing in witty humor. This 1930s classical play has a unique set appearance of this train ride from Chicago to New York in an effort to cure a broken heart.
“Ever since I was little, I always had an inside feeling that I wanted to proceed in theater,” said Theater Department Chair Bob Peterson.
Peterson has worked at Butler for 35 years now. He chose this play because it was an original screwball performance. With the challenge of finding the excellent performers, Peterson tells about his steps to find them.
“They need a level of discipline and dedication, the energy and feel of the production and talent,” Peterson said.
The production, “Twentieth Century,” by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur adapted by Ken Ludwig, introduces Oscar Jaffe played by Chandler Moore, an egomaniacal Broadway director, with his career on a downslide, boards the Twentieth Century Limited. He encounters his former discovery and ex-chorus girl Lily Garland played by Abby Staats, now a temperamental Hollywood star, on the train between New York and Chicago. He pulls out all the stops in persuading her to return to Broadway in his upcoming show. Also on board are several eccentric characters to add to the merriment of the train ride.
“I’m excited about this play because of the humor in it,” sophomore Emily Graves said. “It’s an older play, more a classical play, but it’s one of the funniest plays I’ve seen or read in a while.”
Being the stage manager, Graves has to make sure everything behind the scenes runs smoothly. According to Graves, the challenging part of this production is trying to create the inside of a 1930s train and the unique setting going from Chicago to New York and recommending different space needed to rehearse this play.
As for some, this will be their first time acting in a collegiate play like Sophie Watkins. She started in youth theater in elementary school and then continued on to her junior and senior year of high school.
“I usually play the nice girl, but for this production, I was cast as the lead’s tough assistant,” freshman Sophie Watkins said. “I have a difficult time adjusting.”
The “Twentieth Century” production opens on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 7:30 p.m. and runs through Saturday, Sept. 30. A matinee showing will run on Saturday, Sept. at 2 p.m.