Suicide-Anyone?, 3 One-Acts by John Patrick, Runs Through October 16

Three rarely-seen one-act plays by John Patrick, the author of The Teahouse of The August Moon and The Hasty Heart, are currently being presented through October 16th at the 45th Street Theatre (354 W. 45th Street, between 8th and 9th Avenues). Collectively titled Suicide-Anyone?, they comprise Loyalty, Empathy and Confession.

The show, which runs at 90 minutes, is directed by Jeffrey Davolt and presented by Livin' Large Productions, LLC, with a cast that includes George Antonopoulos, Victor Barbella, Gregory Patrick Jackson and Lara Anne Slife. The show will be performed under an Equity mini-contract.

"In the curtain raiser, Loyalty, bachelor architect Chris Carpenter is a nice young man who just wants to get some sleep before a big day at work the next morning. Unfortunately, his bickering married friends Milo and Myrtle are having yet another fight – and keep drawing Chris into the middle of it. Milo is leaving Myrtle because she keeps feeding him Mexican dinners for every meal (she got them on sale); not to mention the fact she keeps practicing ballet in her tutu. Myrtle, on the other hand, who has a dramatic penchant for trying to commit suicide just to attract attention, sees Milo as an insensitive, stingy, selfish bore. With Milo in his kitchen and Myrtle hiding in his bathroom, Chris tries to hold on to his sanity while trying to keep the two of them from bumping into each other - at least while he's around. Throw in suspicions of infidelity, some communication problems and an assignation on the roof, and you have a recipe for hilarity," according to press notes.

"In the second piece, Empathy, we meet Betsy Biglow, a 20-something aspiring actress for whom nothing is going right. She has no money, no prospects, no hope, and can't even end it all - though it's not for lack of trying. After breaking the kitchen transom when she tried to hang herself, she's about to try again in a more secure spot, only to be interrupted by an Italian painter who tells her of his loving family, and a young attractive television repair man who's studying to be a doctor. In between veiled comments about death and conversations about the ups, downs and joys of life, Betsy just might find a reason for living. After all, wasn't Romeo a little hasty when he killed himself?  And that TV repair IS kind of cute….

In Confession, the final story of the evening, up-and-comer Chandler comes home from a successful business cocktail party, only to find his lover Chuck angrily packing to run home to father. A stay-at-home sort who takes care of the house, Chuck has had it with Chandler's being out for all hours and never calling, especially when he's been slaving over a hot stove making scallopini.  (It should be noted that this is the sixth time in five months he has packed to leave. Chuck has also not quite accepted his homosexuality, yet.) As the two men argue, the couple's worldly neighbor, Rita, stops by. Learning what's going on from Chandler, she tells him to attempt to commit suicide with phony pills (something she has done many times in the past) to keep Chuck from leaving. However things don't go quite as planed as Chandler doesn't count on Chuck's reaction, or the numerous unexpected confessions which emerge."

The show will be performed from Tuesday-Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 3pm & 8pm and Sunday at 3pm. There will also be an additional performance on Wednesday, October 12th at 3pm.

Tickets are $45.00. Reservations can be made at 212-868-4444 or at www.smarttix.com.