Champagne Charlie is a gentle, sometimes very funny, sometimes serious play dealing with accepting some of the realities of growing older. The play takes place one afternoon at a race track near Philadelphia where the sixth race has been named The Champagne Charlie Stakes. There are five characters in the play, Champagne Charlie, a story-teller and life of the party, his wife of 53 years, Mary Lee, an incurable romantic who thinks Charlie is wonderful, their grown daughter, Mary, a divorced drama teacher who is at one point identified as the only adult in the family, Mary’s fiance Paul, who has just returned from his mother’s funeral in California, and Jackie, the local bookie who has been a friend of Charlie’s since Mary was a baby. They are all gathered to make this a special day.
BEATRICE SHELTON – A former burlesque star with an attitude – Senior Citizen EADDY MAE CLAYTON – A former nurse and “religious” lady – Senior Citizen IMOGENE FLETCHER – The newest resident at Magnolia Place – Senior Citizen PAT JONES – A rude and pushy nurse MAUDE JENKINS – A funeral and soap opera obsessed frump – Senior Citizen SAM SMITH – Retired Elvis impersonator and Casanova – Senior Citizen RUBY SUE BENNETT – A quiet, romance novel loving nurse
SUMMARY
Retired burlesque queen Beatrice Shelton desperately needs a vacation – and NOT another trip up to Helen, Georgia to see that “precious little German village for the umpteenth time.” A Sassy Seniors Cruise through the Caribbean may be just the ticket if she can just convince her best friend, Eaddy Mae Clayton, to stop praying and go with her. Unfortunately, things have not been very pleasant at Magnolia Place Assisted Living since Nurse Pat Jones began working there. The newest resident, Imogene Fletcher, is suddenly losing her memory. Maude Jenkins is obsessed with her favorite soap opera and planning her own funeral. Sam Smith, retired Elvis impersonator, keeps trying to bed every woman in the building. A mystery unfolds with laughter as the gals try to outsmart the evil Nurse Pat Jones and figure out why so many residents have been moved to “the dark side,” what exactly IS that mysterious pill, and what happened to Doctor Head? Hilarity ensues as Imogene goes undercover and Maude enters the Miss Magnolia Senior Citizen Pageant to throw Pat off their trail. If they can solve the mystery, they may make it to the cruise ship after all.
Travel back to ancient Rome in the classic comedy A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to The Forum. Featuring a score by the legendary Stephen Sondheim and a book by Larry Gelbart and Burt Shevelove (The Frogs), the original 1962 Broadway production won six Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Author! Read the libretto for free and see for yourself how this show has “something for everyone.”
A Funny Thing Happened… is a nonstop laugh-fest in which Pseudolus, a crafty Roman slave, struggles to win the hand of a beautiful, but slow-witted, courtesan named Philia for his young master, Hero, in exchange for freedom. The plot twists and turns with cases of mistaken identity, slamming doors, and a few trips around the seven hills of Rome.
Everyone’s favorite classic holiday tale gets the fractured fairy-tale treatment. All the famous fairy-tale characters take on all of the memorable roles of Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. You’ll never know who will show up next as the Big Bad Wolf (as Ebenezer Scrooge) meets his old business partner Jacob Midas (Marley), who could turn anything into gold. Midas warns Big Bad that he’ll be visited by The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future (played by a Fairy Godmother, Old King Cole, and the Queen of Hearts respectively). The ghosts make Scrooge realize what a scoundrel he’s been to the Charming (or Crachit) family — including Prince Philip, Cinderella and their kids, Hansel, Gretel, and Tabitha, their Little Match Girl — and help him to remember what the Christmas spirit is all about. This fun-filled adaptation stays true to the warmth and heart of the classic.
At a large, tastefully-appointed Sneden’s Landing townhouse, the Deputy Mayor of New York has just shot himself. Though only a flesh wound, four couples are about to experience a severe attack of Farce. Gathering for their tenth wedding anniversary, the host lies bleeding in the other room, and his wife is nowhere in sight. His lawyer, Ken, and wife, Chris, must get “the story” straight before the other guests arrive. As the confusions and mis-communications mount, the evening spins off into classic farcical hilarity.
The exhibition is free, open to the public, and may be viewed and Monday through Friday 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM and during every performance of the Art Center Theater. A complete schedule of events can be found on the website https://artcenterofcitruscounty.org/ The Art Center Gallery is located at 2644 N Annapolis Ave. Hernando, Florida. The Art Center of Citrus County is open to all who appreciate and want to support the arts in our community. They are a member-owned and operated 501c3 non-profit organization with programs in the performing and visual arts offering opportunities for participation, education, and appreciation of the arts.
Join the DAAP’ers (Drawing and Acrylic Painters) every Monday from 12:00 to 3:30 at the Art Center for an afternoon of either drawing or acrylic painting with fellow artists with any skill level—beginner to advanced. Activities will include projects in drawing and acrylic mediums with tutorial help to DYOT (do-your-own-thing). Bring your own tools and materials, there will be fun projects and great camaraderie—so join us. All you need to do is be a member ($35 annually beginning Sept. 1 each year) by calling 746-7606 to register for the group or try it out as a guest for one visit and see how much learning and laughing in Art can be.
This Art Center member group specializes in portraiture. They meet every Friday from 9:30 a.m. to Noon year-round in the A&E Building. The group paints with a different live model each week for a small fee from each member for the model. At the end of each session, a critique is held to support and improve the works. All levels of experience and media are welcome. The model sits for three 25 minute sessions with an additional 10 minutes if needed. New members are welcome. Join in the camaraderie of like-minded artists. Members check-in at the door and guests may attend for their first visit at no charge. The group leader is artist, John Bescher.
