Dallas actors Larry Randolph, John S. Davies, Ellen Locy and Catherine DuBord star in "Finishing School," a new two-act, four-character comedy by Dallas playwright Elaine Liner. The play makes its debut March 5-22, 2014, produced by the all-matinee One-Thirty Productions at Dallas' Bath House Cultural Center. Gene Raye Price directs.
Randolph and Davies play Wizzer and Al, new friends at an upscale assisted living facility. Wizzer's the oldest resident. Al's the newest, needing guidance in navigating his way into getting the most out of life at what might be his last address. As the men meet for their daily morning ritual -- reading the obits, or as they call them, "the senior citizen's sports page" -- they shoot the bull about sports, the women they've loved and lost and their shared fears of ending up in "The Cove," the facility's much-dreaded "memory care unit."
Locy and DuBord play the mother and daughter who shake up Al's world -- and jolt him into thinking about dating again after too many years alone.
"I wrote this play because the older I get, the more I realize we never really get lose all the insecurities we felt in high school," says playwright Liner, 60. "Being the new kid is always tough. You need to find that `senior' pal to help you figure things out. It just happens that in this play, the freshman is 70 and the upperclassman is 92. I also wanted to write a comedy about old people that has a happy, upbeat outcome."
Liner says she wrote the play specifically for actors Randolph and Davies. "I heard their voices say every line as I typed," she says. "I've seen them in many plays on Dallas stages. My script is written to their strengths as actors. They're both experts at subtle comedy moves. And Davies, playing older than he really is, is sexy as all get-out."
Randolph is a One-Thirty Productions regular, having appeared most recently in their production of Greater Tuna. He had a three-year, 1200-performance run of Greater Tuna in San Francisco in the 1980s. He starred in a critically acclaimed production of Lanford Wilson's The Madness of Lady Bright at the Festival of Independent Theatres.
Davies' long list of professional credits includes extensive film and TV work. He has appeared in more than 60 professional Theater Productions in roles ranging from Prospero in The Tempest to Willy Brandt in Michael Frayn's Democracy. Davies also directs theater, including -recent productions of Richard III for Shakespeare Dallas and T Bone N Weasel for Circle Theatre in Fort Worth.
Ellen Locy is busy Dallas actress, stage director and voiceover talent. She appeared on film in Dr. T and the Women, Problem Child and Deus Ex.Catherine DuBord recently co-starred in Echo Theatre's production of Matt and Ben, and has performed with Kitchen Dog Theater, Contemporary Theatre of Dallas and many others. She also voices numerous animated series.
Playwright Elaine Liner is a longtime Dallas writer and arts critic. She wrote and performed her solo show Sweater Curse: A Yarn about Love at the 2013 Edinburgh Festival Fringe and will return there with the show in August 2014.
Both Davies and Liner are graduates of the late Paul Baker's legendary theater program at Trinity University.
One-Thirty Productions presents Dallas' only all-matinee series of live theater at the Bath House Cultural Center, 521 W. Lawther Drive (on White Rock Lake), Dallas TX 75218.
For information and reservations: 214-532-1709. All shows 1:30 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday, March 5-22, 2014.
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