Actors from TRP’s production of The Boys Next Door work a scene during a recent rehearsal. From left, Ed Huckabee as Norman, Bobby Daniels as Barry, Robert Gac as Jack, Joshua Adler as Lucien and Jordan Pope as Arnold.
The Ringgold Playhouse will open a seven-performance production of the comedy The Boys Next Door beginning Thursday night at the historic Ringgold Depot.
The play, a dramatic comedy written by Tom Griffin, highlights the entertaining idiosyncrasies and hilarious mishaps of four mentally handicapped men living together in a communal apartment.
According to director Renee Lierow, the show will offer audiences a fun, entertaining experience with characters that are easy to love.
“It’s a wonderful play and I really wanted to tell the story of these boys,” said Ms.
Lierow. “I wanted to have fun with them without coming across as making fun, and wanted to give them character without making them into characters.”
In addition to the compelling nature of the story, Ms. Lierow says the show will be interactive for the audience.
“I chose this show because it has a level of interaction that you don’t always see,” Ms. Lierow said. “Hopefully, it will create a different experience than just being an observer and the audience will feel like they are part of the story."
Play synopsis
A communal residence in a New England is the setting where four mentally handicapped men live under the supervision of an earnest, but increasingly burned out young social worker named Jack. Norman, who works in a doughnut shop and is unable to resist the lure of the sweet pastries, takes great pride in the huge bundle of keys that dangles from his waist. Lucien P. Smith has the mind of a five-year-old but imagines he is able to read and comprehend the weighty books he lugs about. Arnold, the ringleader of the group, is a hyperactive, compulsive chatterer, who suffers from deep-seated insecurities and a persecution complex. Barry, a brilliant schizophrenic who is devastated by the unfeeling rejection of his brutal father, fantasizes that he is a golf pro.
Mingled with scenes from the daily lives of these four, where "little things" sometimes become momentous (and often very funny), are moments of great poignancy when, with touching effectiveness, we are reminded that the handicapped, like the rest of us, want only to love and laugh and find some meaning and purpose in the brief time that they, like their more fortunate brothers, are allotted on this Earth.
The 10-person cast features TRP veterans Ed Huckabee, Bobby Daniels, Josh Adler, Kylene Booher, David Howard, and Pat O’Brien, as well as four actors making their TRP debuts: Jordan Pope, Carla Stamey, Salida Brooks, and Robert Gac.
In addition to Ms. Lierow’s direction, the show is being stage managed by Janell Adler.
Ms. Lierow says the strong story and lovable characters have been well-crafted by her “exceptional cast.”
“We have a great cast and crew from all walks of life who have come together to tell this story,” Ms. Lierow said. “Some of us have been doing theatre for years and some had never done it before, but we have come together to make it special – I highly value the experiences and emotion that each person brings.”
Performances for The Boys Next Door will be April 25-27 and May 2-4 at 7:30 p.m., with a special matinee performance slated to take place Saturday, May 4, at 2 p.m.
Tickets are $10 general admission, $8 for seniors and students with ID, and can be purchased online at Eventbrite.com, or at the door.
The Ringgold Playhouse is at 155 Depot St. in downtown Ringgold.
The Ringgold Playhouse is inside the historic Ringgold Depot at 155 Depot St. in downtown Ringgold