[NEohioPAL]FINAL WEEKEND FOR "THE SUM OF US" AT PLAYERS GUILD THEATRE

[Players Guild Theatre]

Be sure not to miss The Players Guild Theatre's production of "THE SUM OF
US," playing in our Arena Theatre through Saturday, March 23.  The show has
gotten two very favorable reviews, one from the Akron Beacon Journal and one
from the Canton Repository (the text of which are posted below in their
entirety).  There are only two performances left!  Don't miss this wonderful
show.

Two noted Cleveland actors, Doug Rossi and David Ellis, are in this show as
well.

(Please note the show does contain mature themes and language).

For tickets call (330) 453-7617.  For more information about the Players
Guild Theatre, please visit us online at http://www.playersguildtheatre.com.
For directions, etc., go to
http://www.playersguildtheatre.com/contact_us.html.

Showtimes are Friday and Saturday at 8:00 p.m.  Tickets are $17, with $7
tickets available the day of the show for students with a student ID.


Players Guild Theatre
1001 Market Avenue North
Canton, Ohio 44702
Box Office: 330-453-7617
Main Office: 330-453-7619
URL: www.playersguildtheatre.com


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‘Sum of Us’ is fine piece of work
By DAN KANE Repository entertainment writer
CANTON — It’s no surprise that a widowed father in his 50s might be eager to
see his lonesome 25-year-old son find love and happiness. But when Dad tries
to move things along, his good-hearted efforts at playing matchmaker tend to
backfire.

This is the basic story line of “The Sum of Us,” an engaging comedy-drama
being presented in the Players Guild’s Arena Theatre. Yet the play has a
twist: The son is gay, and his dad is trying to find him a fella.

Although gay characters are increasingly commonplace on television, plays
dealing with aspects of homosexuality are infrequently presented on local
stages. “The Sum of Us” is a fine piece of work, a well-written story with
plenty of humor and warmth, realistic dialogue, and situations that touch on
universal issues of family and love and parenting and aging. (Russell Crowe
portrayed the son in a 1994 movie version.)

The performances by Bil Pfuderer as the father, Harry Mitchell, and Doug
Rossi as his son, Jeffrey, are fully believable and persuasive. Enhanced by
the small and intimate theater, what happens during the play’s two hours
feels like real life. The two men address the audience directly at times,
often humorously, which tends to further draw in members of the audience.

In the first act, Jeffrey jokes with his father as the younger one prepares
to go out to a bar with a guy he has met. The men’s rapport is easy and
joshing, and it quickly is established that the father accepts and is
supportive of his gay son. The play is set in Melbourne, Australia, and the
men have a working-class Aussie bawdiness to their jesting.

Later this same night, after Jeffrey brings home the guy, it is revealed how
meddlesome Jeffrey’s father can be. Harry’s bawdy talk and inappropriate
observations to his son’s guest botch the date. It is both comical and sad
to watch.

In the second act, Harry brings home a woman he’s been happily dating and is
preparing to marry. Yet when he finally reveals to her why Jeffrey is not
married, her reaction is not positive. Father and son are both thwarted in
their searches for love.

Pfuderer and Rossi create multifaceted characters, speak in consistent
Australian accents and convey a genuine sense of father and son’s living
together and driving each other crazy at times. David Ellis effectively
portrays the uneasiness of a closeted gay man confronted with his date’s
overeager father. Margene Rannigan gives a full-blooded and amusing
performance as Joyce, Harry’s excitable girlfriend.

People uneasy with the very idea of homosexuality are unlikely to embrace
this play, which includes some crude locker-room sex talk. But it is more
the story of a father and son than an “issue” play. It is touching, funny
and very human.

Performances are at 8 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday, and 2:30 p.m.
Sunday at the Cultural Center for the Arts. To order tickets, call (330)
453-7617
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Unconditional love adds up to `Sum of Us'
By Kerry Clawson
Beacon Journal staff writer

The Sum of Us, playing at the Players Guild's Arena Theatre in Canton, is a
sweet, funny play about love and relationships.

The heart of the play, written by Australian playwright David Stevens, is
the unconditional love between father and son.

Doug Rossi and Bil Pfuderer star in this well-done comedy, playing the gay
man Jeff and his overly involved father, Harry, who's trying to help him
find Mr. Right. These two have a dynamic chemistry that's both lively and
touching.

Pfuderer, who also directs the show, stresses in his director's notes that
the sexual orientation of the play's characters is secondary to the comedy's
universal themes. He couldn't be more right.

All of the characters in this play, gay or straight, have a deep need to be
loved and cherished -- a need shared by all humans.

``There's a part of my heart that's empty, Dad, and it's a very important
part,'' Jeff reveals after being rejected in love.

What young adult hasn't felt this way?

This play, which is set in Australia, is just as much about Harry as it is
about Jeff. In fact, we get to know Harry better.

Soliloquys by both father and son give candid insight into their loving
relationship. They share plenty of good-natured ribbing, underscored by a
deep-seated respect and pride.

Harry, a widower, has a funny sort of wisdom about love and life. He speaks
often about the sacrifices one makes for love.

As liberated as he is about his son's lifestyle, he has some hang-ups. He
thinks homosexuality is in his family's blood, ``skipping a generation''
from his gay mother to his gay son.

It's surprising that Stevens wrote a play as late as 1990 dealing about
people who have trouble even saying the word ``gay.'' In that respect, the
play seems old-fashioned.

``He's what you might call `cheerful, ' '' Harry explains about Jeff.

Harry also comes across as naive when referring to ``that dreadful AIDS
thing.''

The play's only female character, Harry's girlfriend, Joyce (Margene
Rannigan), actually becomes angry when she learns that Jeff, whom she hasn't
met, is gay. This reaction seems harsh today.

Pfuderer plays the jovial Harry with an endearing combination of tenderness
and humor. Our hearts ache when we see Pfuderer cry real tears as Harry says
his biggest fear is that his son will forget how to love.

Playwright Stevens offers lively, witty dialogue, delivered with believable
Australian accents by Pfuderer and Rossi.

The chemistry's awkward, though, between Jeff and his love interest, Greg,
played by David Ellis. Although Greg is supposed to be ill-at-ease about
Harry's open-mindedness, actor Ellis is holding back to an extreme. He
doesn't help us feel we really know Greg or why Jeff is attracted to him.

Parents should be warned that this play is laced with profanity and sexual
language. Children under 17 are not admitted without an adult. None of this
language is gratuitous, though: It makes sense within its context.

The Sum of Us played Off-Broadway at the Cherry Lane Theatre in 1990. The
1994 movie that followed, starring Russell Crowe as Jeff, largely remained
true to the play's script.

It's a shame that the Players Guild audience was so slim at Sunday's
performance of The Sum of Us. This is a show worth knowing.

The Sum of Us is at the Players Guild Arena Theater in Canton through March
23. Performances are Thurs-Sat, 8 p.m.; and Sun, 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $17;
$15 for seniors and students. For information call 330-453-7617.


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