On Stage Tonight - "I Ought to be in Pictures"

I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview last night of the comedy I Ought to be in Pictures, which takes the stage tonight at the Renaissance Theater (the old Huntington High School), and what a terrific show it is!

I'll have a complete review soon, but let me just take a moment to recommend it highly! It has a small but incredibly talented cast, and the show (written by the hilarious Neil Simon) is very funny and very touching.

You'll wipe away tears of laughter, and before it's over you'll wipe away the other kind of tears (the sweet sentimental kind).

Go see it - you can thank me later!

(This photo shows two of the three cast members - Clint McElroy, looking somewhat grizzled here on the left, and Alissa Fetherolf, beautiful as always on the right.)

But don't take my word for it - you can read more about it in this story by Beth Hendricks from the Herald-Dispatch:

It was the right script for the right cast at the right time.

First-time director Stephen Vance knew when he read I Ought To Be In Pictures -- after perusing nearly 30 scripts -- that he had the perfect players for the roles.

"It is a perfect fit for the people who agreed to be in the show for me," said Vance, who is staging the show for the non-profit Arts Resources for the Tri-State (ARTS). "It's a three-person cast, which was great for me since it's my first time as the director, and it was great for ARTS because we were looking for a show without a huge budget outlay so they can stage a bigger production, like a musical, this year or maybe next year."

Neil Simon's I Ought To Be In Pictures will be presented at the Renaissance Center at 8 p.m. Oct. 2, 3, 9 and 10, and at 3 p.m. Oct. 4 and 11. Admission is $15.

The show, written 30 years ago, chronicles a 19-year-old daughter's re-emergence back into the life of the father she hasn't seen since the age of three. The father tries to balance his life between his daughter, his failing screenwriting career and his relationship with his girlfriend.

"It was very cutting-edge when it came out years ago because people didn't talk a lot about divorce. The heart of this story is the relationship between father and daughter," said Vance, who has worked on or acted in more than 25 shows in the past five years. "It's a comedic drama, but there's a very nice story throughout. You don't go very long without a laugh, though, and it's a very uplifting tale."

Vance's cast includes Alissa Fetherolf as Libby Tucker, Clint McElroy at Herb Tucker and Leann Haines as Steffy Blondell.

For more information or tickets, call 304-733-2787 or visit www.733arts.org.