You might seek comfort in an all night diner for a great cup of java, a slice of yummy coconut cream pie and a conversation with good friends. Or you might seek sanctuary if you knew in advance that a giant asteroid was hurtling toward earth on a crash course and the whole world was in grave danger of extinction. Thanks to playwright Darcy Parker Bruce, you have the opportunity to do both, courtesy of New Britain’s Hole in the Wall Theater until Saturday, September 7 for “Always Plenty of Light at the Starlight All Night Diner." If you are ready for a sci-fi adventure, with nods to Dr. Who, The Hitchhiker’s Guide, and Back to the Future, and a foreshadowing to the new television show Quantum Leap, you are invited to go time traveling back eons to when T-Rex and friends ruled the earth.
Guiding you on this journey into the unknown are the diner’s very pregnant waitress Jessa, a long suffering Mallory Spencer, who tolerates her boorish and unsupportive husband Johnny, and the diner’s trusty janitor Sam, a dependable Katie Ciurleo who doesn’t have the courage to confess her love for Jessa and desire to help her with her pending new arrival. Also on the scene are a frantic Dr. Moxie who knows what is going to happen and is alternately thrilled and frightened by what is looming on the horizon and his anxious assistant Danni, a boisterous Erin Walsh, who loves to collect specimens to study. Due to the illness of Robb Ecker, the play’s director Matthew Benjamin Horowitz stepped in to the role as the capable scientific advisor.
This quirky dinosaur play delights in a campy atmosphere while dealing with issues of love and lesbian relationships, trying to resolve whether the characters will choose to be true to themselves. Will Jessa admit that hubby Johnny is wrong for her and the new baby? Will Sam feel safe enough to tell Jessa how she feels? Can Danni reconcile with her parents and find comfort and acceptance? Will Dr. Moxie find a solution to their other worldly problems? How will a special cup of coffee at a special time help resolve their future?
The playbill is a diner menu…so clever. Tony Palmieri’s set design is welcoming as he believes in “building a beautiful place to invite people in.” The theater is a 50 year old all-volunteer organization that would love new members to come on board.
For tickets ($25, seniors and students $20), call the Hole in the Wall Theater, 116 Main Street, New Britain at 860- 229-3049 or online at www.hitw.org. Performances are Friday at 8 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m and 8 p.m., with a talkback with the playwright after the Saturday, 8 p.m. show. The show is 75 minutes with no intermission.
If you are ready for a time travel adventure where Jurassic Park is right outside the Starlight Diner, then look no further than the Connecticut premiere of “Always Plenty of Light at the Starlight All Night Diner.” Leap into yesteryear at your own risk.
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