A LOVELY DAY TO KILL YOUR SPOUSE Premiers At Center For Performing Arts Bonita Springs

It is A Lovely Day to Kill Your Spouse at Center for Performing Arts Bonita Springs. Not a suggestion to married folk, but a world premiere comedy play from New Zealand playwright Lindsey Brown.

This world premiere full-length comedy of desire-meets-killer intentions, will run two weekends, October 20-30, 2022, Thursday through Saturday evenings at 7:00pm, with 2:00pm matinees on Saturdays and Sundays at the Moe Auditorium and Film Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Road.

On a seemingly innocuous and possibly romantic boat ride, obscenely wealthy couple Graham and Gloria (John Repa and Gay Smith) unveil their truest desires: to kill each other and keep everything for themselves. As they navigate their way around their intended's intended murder and find an acceptable compromise, a raging storm shipwrecks them on a deserted island. To the rescue comes Graham's brother David (Kyle Bittner) and Gloria's sister (Jennifer Driggers), with their own agendas to complicate matters. Who leaves the island alive is determined in the final hilarious act.

Stars Repa and Smith bring years of performance experience to their roles. Repa regular performs on The Murder Train in Fort Myers, which is temporarily closed due to issues from Hurricane Ian. Smith worked professionally in Los Angeles before moving to Florida a few years ago and has appeared in numerous roles with the Center.

Film and Theatre Director Frank Blocker insists that the decision to do this particular play came down to Center audiences. "We presented three selections from full-length plays in our Staged Reading Series earlier this year and asked audiences to decide which one we would present for our Fall play. The audience chose Lovely Day due to the stylish comedy and, apparently, the relatability of long-term relationships straddling the line between love and hate...and apparently the desire to just kill each other at times." Center audiences have enjoyed the comic sensibilities of Brown's work as she has been presented on a number of occasions with her short plays being featured in Funny Shorts LIVE! and the international Stage It! 10-Minute Play Festival. As for this production, Blocker suggests married folk "come for the laughs but stick around for ideas!"

Blocker will co-direct with Toni Palumbo, who has amassed her own following after the wildly successful Erma Bombeck: At Wit's End, featured at the Center last season. Actors include John Repa, Gay Smith, Kyle Bittner and Jennifer Driggers.

Staged Reading Series: Ghosts, Monsters, Sci-Fi and Comedy, October 7, 2022, 7:30pm, Admission $25, Center for Performing Arts Moe Auditorium and Film Center, 10150 Bonita Beach Road, Bonita Springs, Florida, 239-495-8989, www.artcenterbonita.org.

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