[NEohioPAL]"This comedy is more than lucky - by Herb Hammer - Chagrin Valley Times - 8/4/05

Thu Aug 4 12:28:11 PDT 2005

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_0172_01C59909.1FC7CB70
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

'This comedy is more than lucky'
by Herb Hammer
Chagrin Valley Times
8/4/05

While the zany musical farce Lucky Stiff failed when it opened in New =
York in 1988, audiences have since found this now-famous flop to be =
endearing and surprisingly funny.
The show is based on Michael Butterworth's The Man Who Broke the Bank at =
Monte Carlo.  It also may remind one of Weekend at Bernie's, a low =
comedy that was released sometime after Lucky Stiff was launched.
The Chagrin Valley Little Theatre has taken on the task of staging this =
highly complex, whirlwind show with high hopes of making it come out =
right.  With the ingenious help of designer Edmund Wolff and the =
on-the-money costumes of Chery Suchan, director Sheila Heyman has given =
us a product worth cheering about.
In the opening number of Lucky Stiff with all the characters on stage =
singing, the soon-to-be "stiff" is shot dead by his nearsighted =
girlfriend.  This gets your attention immediately.
The story is really about Harry Witherspoon, a failing English shoe =
salesman, and his chances to inherit $6 million.  Harry didn't even know =
his rich Uncle Tony.  Yet in his will, the now-dead uncle has had =
himself stuffed and, with distinct instructions, has Harry taking him on =
a wheelchair ride to Monte Carlo, an unfulfilled lifelong dream.  If =
Harry completes all the instructions, the $6 million is his.
But this is no simple task.  Lynn Ahrens' script fills the stage with =
loonies and has created an enormous amount of slapstick complicated =
comedy.
Harry is being followed by Annabel Glick, the undercover agent for the =
Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn.  If Harry slips up, the $6 million goes =
to the dogs, so to speak, and Harry hates dogs.
The story gets more complicated when Tony's nearly blind girlfriend, =
Rita LaPorta, gets into the act and convinces her brother to take her to =
Monte Carlo, thinking the $6 million is with Harry and the body.
The farce goes through endless complications with one thought in mind, =
and that is to make you laugh.  Before it's all over, Harry and Annabel =
fall in love following Harry's hilarious nightmare where even the corpse =
is up singing and dancing.
Ben Drenik is the perfect nerdy Harry, pushing the perfect corpse, =
played by Jerry Schaber through most of the scenes.
Sarah Seider, as the dog lady, has a pleasant voice and plays Annabel =
with a comic yet touching sincerity.  Sharon Lloyd is a hoot as the =
sight-challenged Rita.
The cast is filled with terrific comic performers, and all can really =
sing.  Stephen Flaherty's score, however, is nothing to get excited =
about, though Miss Ahrens' lyrics push the comedy along.
Mr. Wolff's sets that come whizzing on and off keep the action moving =
swiftly.  They are backed up by an enormous casino wheel that actually =
tells you were you are, in case you don't get it.
Miss Heyman has put together an impressive comedy and has surely cast it =
well.
Lucky Stiff will run through Aug 20.

Fridays and Saturdays @ 8pm
Sundays @ 2pm
Box Office:  440-247-8955
Box Office Hours:  Monday - Saturday 1-6pm

Chris White
Corporate Controller
M. Davis Management Services, Inc.
32100 Solon Road  Suite 204
Solon, OH  44139
440-542-1724-Phone
440-542-1726-Fax
------=_NextPart_000_0172_01C59909.1FC7CB70
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=3DContent-Type content=3D"text/html; =
charset=3Diso-8859-1">
<META content=3D"MSHTML 6.00.2800.1505" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>'This comedy is =
more than=20
lucky'</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>by Herb =
Hammer</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>Chagrin Valley=20
Times</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 =
size=3D2>8/4/05</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 =
size=3D2></FONT></EM> </DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>While the zany =
musical farce=20
<STRONG>Lucky Stiff</STRONG> failed when it opened in New York in 1988,=20
audiences have since found this now-famous flop to be endearing and =
surprisingly=20
funny.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>The show is based =
on Michael=20
Butterworth's <STRONG>The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo. =20
</STRONG>It also may remind one of <STRONG>Weekend at Bernie's, =
</STRONG>a low=20
comedy that was released sometime after <STRONG>Lucky Stiff </STRONG>was =

launched.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>The Chagrin Valley =
Little Theatre=20
has taken on the task of staging this highly complex, whirlwind show =
with high=20
hopes of making it come out right.  With the ingenious help of =
designer=20
Edmund Wolff and the on-the-money costumes of Chery Suchan, director =
Sheila=20
Heyman has given us a product worth cheering about.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>In the opening =
number of=20
<STRONG>Lucky Stiff</STRONG> with all the characters on stage singing, =
the=20
soon-to-be "stiff" is shot dead by his nearsighted girlfriend.  =
This gets=20
your attention immediately.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>The story is really =
about Harry=20
Witherspoon, a failing English shoe salesman, and his chances to inherit =
$6=20
million.  Harry didn't even know his rich Uncle Tony.  Yet in =
his=20
will, the now-dead uncle has had himself stuffed and, with distinct=20
instructions, has Harry taking him on a wheelchair ride to Monte Carlo, =
an=20
unfulfilled lifelong dream.  If Harry completes all the =
instructions, the=20
$6 million is his.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>But this is no =
simple task. =20
Lynn Ahrens' script fills the stage with loonies and has created an =
enormous=20
amount of slapstick complicated comedy.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>Harry is being =
followed by=20
Annabel Glick, the undercover agent for the Universal Dog Home of=20
Brooklyn.  If Harry slips up, the $6 million goes to the dogs, so =
to speak,=20
and Harry hates dogs.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>The story gets more =
complicated=20
when Tony's nearly blind girlfriend, Rita LaPorta, gets into the act and =

convinces her brother to take her to Monte Carlo, thinking the $6 =
million is=20
with Harry and the body.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>The farce goes =
through endless=20
complications with one thought in mind, and that is to make you =
laugh. =20
Before it's all over, Harry and Annabel fall in love following Harry's =
hilarious=20
nightmare where even the corpse is up singing and =
dancing.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>Ben Drenik is the =
perfect nerdy=20
Harry, pushing the perfect corpse, played by Jerry Schaber through most =
of the=20
scenes.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>Sarah Seider, as =
the dog lady,=20
has a pleasant voice and plays Annabel with a comic yet touching=20
sincerity.  Sharon Lloyd is a hoot as the sight-challenged=20
Rita.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>The cast is filled =
with terrific=20
comic performers, and all can really sing.  Stephen Flaherty's =
score,=20
however, is nothing to get excited about, though Miss Ahrens' lyrics =
push the=20
comedy along.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>Mr. Wolff's sets =
that come=20
whizzing on and off keep the action moving swiftly.  They are =
backed up by=20
an enormous casino wheel that actually tells you were you are, in case =
you don't=20
get it.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>Miss Heyman has put =
together an=20
impressive comedy and has surely cast it well.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2><STRONG>Lucky =
Stiff</STRONG> will=20
run through Aug 20.</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 =
size=3D2></FONT></EM> </DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>Fridays and =
Saturdays @=20
8pm</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>Sundays @ =
2pm</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>Box Office: =20
440-247-8955</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>Box Office =
Hours:  Monday -=20
Saturday 1-6pm</FONT></EM></DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 =
size=3D2></FONT></EM> </DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 =
size=3D2></FONT></EM> </DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 =
size=3D2></FONT></EM> </DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 =
size=3D2></FONT></EM> </DIV>
<DIV><EM><FONT face=3DArial color=3D#000080 size=3D2>Chris =
White<BR>Corporate=20
Controller<BR>M. Davis Management Services, Inc.<BR>32100 Solon =
Road  Suite=20
204<BR>Solon, OH =20
44139<BR>440-542-1724-Phone<BR>440-542-1726-Fax</FONT></EM></DIV></BODY><=
/HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_0172_01C59909.1FC7CB70--