It’s been an eventful autumn for Kent County Theatre Guild and the season hasn’t even officially started. Auditions for the first show, Neil Simon’s “Rumors,” brought out a wealth of actors, many of them new to the guild. To make things even sweeter, the group won the Dover Mayor’s Arts Award for the year.
Now it’s time to open the doors so the public can see why the group was honored. The farce
“Rumors” debuts at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 6, at Patchwork Playhouse, 140 E. Roosevelt Ave., Dover.
“Rumors” follows several affluent couples attending a party at the deputy mayor of New York’s home. Sounds tame, but when they get there they realize there are no servants and the hostess is missing. And oh yes, the host has shot himself in the earlobe. In an effort to comprehend this — and keep the media and police at bay — madness ensues.
Director Jane Polo staged the show in 1991, and has wanted to return to it ever since. The show won accolades that year, but Polo still felt there was much they didn’t discover in the short run.
“There was just so much that we didn’t dig out,” she said.
Joining his mother at the helm is Mike Polo as associate director. Mike acted in the 1991 production, and agreed that time has given them a different appreciation for the show’s subtle points.
“You get 20 years to think about something and you start to see some things,” he said.
So people who saw the first production in 1991 might recognize some more nuance when it comes to the characters, and new cast members, of course. Auditions drew a number of new talents, including John Zinzi, whose character looks like he’s about to keel over from the stress of being history’s most inept accessory to a potential crime. Nine other cast members do their parts to keep up the at-times frenetic pacing and dialogue.
“It’s a cohesive cast in that they can laugh with each other and they can laugh at each other,” Jane said.
She commented that the natural talent onstage is probably the best cast she’s worked with.
“You swear you’re sitting in that living room with them,” she said.
Mike is quick with a quip while Jane is thoughtfully deliberate, yet they seem to be in sync when it comes to “Rumors” — when they compare notes, they’re often the same. This is the first time in years the two have worked together.
“It’s satisfying to see this snotty nosed kid who’s grown up into an ... erudite young man,” Jane said.
Email Sarika Jagtiani at sarika.jagtiani@doverpost.com
IF YOU GO...
WHAT “Rumors” by the Kent County Theatre Guild
WHEN 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20 and 21
WHERE Patchwork Playhouse, 140 E. Roosevelt Ave., Dover
ADMISSION $16
MORE INFO Call 674-3568 or visit www.kctg.org
