Jean Kerr's LUNCH HOUR Gets Script-in-Hand Reading at Westport Country Playhouse

Westport Country Playhouse will present a Script in Hand playreading of the romantic comedy "Lunch Hour" by Jean Kerr, on Monday, April 24, at 7 p.m. The reading will be directed by Anne Keefe, Playhouse associate artist and curator of the playreading series. Tickets are $20 each.

"I was remembering what fun we had with our Script in Hand reading of Jean Kerr's 'Mary, Mary' a couple of years ago and went searching for other plays by Ms. Kerr," said Keefe. "'Lunch Hour' has a similar warmth and charm, and I'm sure our audience will love it."

Set in a Long Island beach house in 1980, Oliver and Carrie discover that their spouses are having an affair. They counter by inventing an affair of their own. Oliver, ironically, is a marriage counsellor and a bit of a stick, while his wife is a real go-getter who easily juggles husband and lover. Carrie is a kook, married to a very rich man.

The cast includes actors who have appeared at The Playhouse in recent productions: Rebekah Brockman as Carrie (WCP's "The Liar," Script in Hand playreading of "The Country Club"; Yale Rep's "Arcadia"; film "Bridge of Spies" with Tom Hanks, directed by Steven Spielberg; television's "Divorce," "The Knick"); Kate MacCluggage as Nora (WCP's "The Liar," Script in Hand playreading of "The Country Club"; Broadway's "The Farnsworth Invention"; Long Wharf Theatre/Hartford Stage's "Bell, Book, and Candle").

Also, Mark Shanahan as Peter (WCP's "Around the World in 80 Days," "Tryst," "Sedition," "David Copperfield," "Journey's End," 18 Script in Hand playreadings; New York's "The 39 Steps"); John Skelley as Leo (WCP's "Art," "And a Nightingale Sang," Script in Hand playreading of "The Late Christopher Bean"; Off-Broadway's "Hamlet" (title role), "The Changeling," "Desire"); and James Waterston as Oliver (WCP's "Children," "Time of My Life," "Relatively Speaking," Script in Hand playreading of "Bedroom Farce"; Broadway's "Enemy of the People," film "Dead Poets Society"). Waterston's father Sam played the same role in the original Broadway production in 1980.

All artists are subject to change.

Playwright Jean Collins Kerr (1923-2003) had a knack for finding wry humor in the worlds of marriage, suburbia, and show business. Her novel "Please Don't Eat the Daisies" (1957) was made into a movie (1960) and a television series (1965-67). Among her plays are "Mary, Mary" (1961), "Poor Richard" (1964), "Finishing Touches" (1973), and "Lunch Hour" (1980). She was the wife of Walter Kerr, Broadway theater critic.

Director Anne Keefe served as artistic director of Westport Country Playhouse with JoAnne Woodward in 2008, and as associate artistic director from 2000-2006, also with Ms. Woodward. She co-directed with Ms. Woodward the Westport Country Playhouse production of "David Copperfield," and directed many Script in Hand playreadings.

Script in Hand sponsors are Marc and Michele Flaster; Script in Hand partners are Ann Sheffer and Bill Scheffler; Script in Hand Corporate Sponsor is Northwestern Mutual. The series is supported, in part, by the White Barn Program of the Lucille Lortel Foundation.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.westportplayhouse.org or call the box office at (203) 227-4177, toll-free at 1-888-927-7529, or visit Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Court, off Route 1, Westport. Stay connected to The Playhouse on Facebook (Westport Country Playhouse), follow on Twitter (@WCPlayhouse), and on YouTube (WestportPlayhouse).

The mission of Westport Country Playhouse is to enrich, enlighten, and engage the community through the power of professionally produced theater worth talking about and the welcoming experience of The Playhouse campus. The Playhouse creates this relationship with the community and provides this experience in multiple ways by offering: Live theater experiences of the highest quality, under the artistic direction of Mark Lamos, from May to November; educational and community engagement events and opportunities to further explore issues presented by the work on stage; special performances and programs for students and teachers with extensive curriculum support material; Script in Hand playreadings throughout the year to deepen relationships with audiences and artists alike; the renowned Woodward Internship Program training program during the summer months for aspiring theater professionals; Family Festivities presentations from November through April to delight young and old alike and to promote reading through live theater; and the beautiful and historic Playhouse campus open for enjoyment and community events year-round. The value of the Westport Country Playhouse to all it touches is immeasurable.

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