Talk Of The Town

Details: Written by Bryan Hunt - Breese Journal Editor

The cast and crew of Clinton County Showcase's spring production of "Arsenic & Old Lace." The dark comedy opens this Friday at the Avon Theater in downtown Breese for six shows. (Photo by Bryan Hunt) The Clinton County Showcase returns live theater to the historic Avon Theater in downtown Breese with "Arsenic & Old Lace," which opens this weekend.
Performances are this Friday and Saturday, and April 16 and 17 at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7:30 p.m.
Matinee performances are this Sunday and April 18 at 2 p.m., with doors opening at 1:30 p.m.
This is the troupe's first stage production since cancelling "Willy Wonka" in February, due to issues related to COVID-19 cases.
Showcase veteran Steve Klostermann directs this three-act production, set in the Brewster family's home in Brooklyn, New York, in 1941.
Klostermann, who has directed 13 shows in his 20-plus years with CCS, said he does not direct many comedies, but "this script is so good, when you add a great cast to it as well, it's just a phenomenal show."
He called this collection of actors, for this play, a "stellar cast."
And he didn't want to sound cliche´ but he called the "Arsenic'" cast "probably the best cast I've ever had in a show I've directed."
He said all of the 13 casts have been great.
They had a lot of people audition for this production "so I cut a lot of people; I cut a lot of very good people," but he kept the best actors for these roles.

The cast, crew and pit band who will be staging this weekend’s performances of "Oklahoma!" at Mater Dei Catholic High School in Breese, prior to a dress rehearsal Monday night in the Trame Center. (Photo by Bryan Hunt) Mater Dei Catholic High School in Breese proudly presents “Oklahoma!,” the Rogers and Hammerstein classic hit, this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the high school.
Beloved by all, “Oklahoma” tells the story of settlers in the Oklahoma territory at the turn of the century.
There's a box social coming up, and Curly (Harrison Mondt) asks Laurey (Jordyn Muscarello) if she'll be his date.
Trouble is Laurey thinks he has waited too long, and in a fit of pique accepts an offer from sullen farm hand Jud (Mason Schrage) instead.
Meanwhile, Laurey's friend Ado Annie (Brooke Rickhoff) is also torn between two men: a cowboy named Will (AJ Mueth) and a foreign peddler, Ali Hakim (Dakota Driemeyer).
Both women struggle to know their own hearts before it is too late.
This show features familiar show-stoppers such as “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning,” “Surrey with the Fringe on Top,” and, of course, the title song, “Oklahoma!.”
This first collaboration by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hamilton II is a celebration of love, patriotism, and nostalgia.
Director Donna Goetz said, “This is a show for the whole family. Audiences will be humming the tunes for days. No other activity brings together so many students with diverse interests and backgrounds. In theater, everyone is welcome. We are forever grateful to our principal, Dennis Litteken, for allowing us the opportunity to present live theater to an audience.”