Comedies headline Old Lyric season

With four family-friendly comic stage productions Utah State University’s Old Lyric Repertory Company (OLRC) opens the summer season June 10 in downtown Logan. “Usually we try to mix them up,” said OLRC artistic director Dennis Hassan. “This year there is still a mix of them, but we have different kinds of comedies and one of them is a mystery. We’ve found the audiences love a mystery and this year we’re doing Agatha Christie’s ‘The Mousetrap.’ But the others all have a comic turn to them. ‘Always Patsy Cline’ has a tragic ending but there is a lot of comedy to it.” Hassan admits “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged)” is definitely a comedy. “It’s about three men who decide they’re going to educate the audience as to the complete works of William Shakespeare,” said Hassan. “Unfortunately they have very little knowledge of the situation. It’s just madcap and crazy, constantly changing costumes. A lot of audience interaction.” Hassan said he is excited to have Erica Hansen playing the lead in “Always…Patsy Cline.” “She came up and auditioned for us,” said Hassan. “Her renditions of ‘Crazy’ and ‘I Fall to Pieces’ will just blow you away.” “Blithe Spirit” is the most famous of Noel Coward’s comedies. “It’s almost a farce,” said Hassan. “When we think of Noel Coward we think of sophisticated comedy. This is a little lighter, it was written during the blitz of World War Two to entertain the people on the home front in England. It had a big revival a couple of years ago on Broadway starring Angela Lansbury.” Hassan said ‘The Mousetrap’ is the most famous Agatha Christie play. “It started playing something like 50 years ago on the West End in London and it’s still playing today, making it the longest running play in England.” said Hassan. “Vosco Call, the founder of the Old Lyric Repertory Company, will be playing a part in it. He’s always a great favorite in the Lyric season.” The Old Lyric Repertory Company is a production program based in the Theatre Arts Department in USU’s Caine School of the Arts. OLRC tickets are available at the Caine School of the Arts box office in the Chase Fine Arts Center on campus or online (http://boxoffice.usu.edu). The season runs June 10-July 31 at the Caine Lyric Theatre in downtown Logan.

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