UNNECESSARY FARCE Brings The Sting Operation To Kansas City 5/8-6/21

Set in a hotel with two connecting rooms, Unnecessary Farce takes a sting operation to silly new heights that will have audiences rolling in the aisles! Slamming doors abound in this hilarious farce featuring two likable cops operating out of their league, a possibly crooked mayor and his innocent-acting wife, a shy accountant with a tendency to drop her drawers, a double agent who'd like to get IN those drawers and a Scottish hit man with a brogue that gets thicker the angrier he gets! This dazzlingly funny comedy has more tasty twists than a bag of Twizzlers! Unnecessary Farce runs May 8th to June 21st, 2009.

The AHT production of Unnecessary Farce features a hilarious cast of familiar faces and brand new talent. Kevin Albert returns to Kansas City as Mayor Meekly after 10 years in sunny California. He was last seen on the AHT stage as understudy to the jolly fat guy in Another Night Before Christmas. Kevin has also appeared in The Pajama Game for Musical Theatre Heritage and Oklahoma at the New Theatre Restaurant.

Craig Benton stars in his 11th show on the AHT stage as Agent Frank. Seen most often at AHT and at the New Theatre Restaurant, he has also appeared with KC Rep, the Unicorn, and Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre. Cynthia Hyer stars as Mary Meekly. Cynthia previously played Jessica in AHT's production of Communicating Doors. She recently returned from the William Inge Theatre Festival where she was part of a team of actors assisting playwright Richard Hellesen with his play-in-progress All She Wrote.

2007 Mastermind Award winner, Jessalyn Kincaid, stars as Karen Brown. Her tenure at AHT includes a groom-stealer in Perfect Wedding, a tail-chasing dog in A Dog's Life, and a bratty sister in Leaving Iowa. Jessalyn has had the distinct honor of directly working with such music luminaries as Harry Connick, Jr., and Broadway composer Stephen Schwartz. Jill Szoo makes her AHT debut as Billie Dwyer. Jill has been featured in over 20 commercials, directed several university productions and made her KC acting debut at the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre as Rose in The Woolgatherer. John Wilson is also making his AHT debut as Eric Sheridan. A SAG and AEA member, Wilson has been working professionally on stage and in commercial and film for nearly two decades.

In Kansas City, he has been seen in Bug at the Unicorn Theatre, in The Woolgatherer with the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre and in last summer's Heart of America Shakespeare production of Othello. Zach Woods is making his professional theatre debut as Todd. He is a native of Kansas City, MO, having grown up in Grain Valley. He attended Central Missouri State University, where he received a B.F.A. in Theatre Performance. Collegiate credits include: A Streetcar Named Desire, Death of a Salesman and A Midsummer Night's Dream.

William J. Christie, who has been part of the AHT family since 1987, directs Unnecessary Farce. Christie has served AHT as an usher, actor, director, resident stage manager, floral designer and holiday tree decorator during his tenure. He last directed A Lion In Winter for AHT in the Spring of 1992. Christie is a fixture of AHT, and we are pleased to have him back in the director's chair.

Named one of the "50 To Watch" - "writers of exceptional merit and promise" - by The Dramatist magazine in 2007, playwright Paul Slade Smith is pleased his second play, Unnecessary Farce, is being produced in Kansas City, as well as 17 other locations across the country this year.

Unnecessary Farce is a well-crafted piece of comedy that is not to be missed!

Handicapped entry and seating, as well as assistive listening devices, are available at all performances. An ASL-interpreted performance is scheduled for Wednesday, June 17, 2009 at 7:30PM.

Next at American Heartland Theatre
Are We There Yet? July 10 - August 23, 2009 Rated PG
American Heartland Theatre is one of the city's leading live theatre establishments and was rated #21 in the top area attractions by the Kansas City Business Journal. The theatre serves over 180,000 theatre-goers every year from Kansas City and five surrounding states. Each season, the theatre presents six productions, including comedies, musicals, dramas and mysteries featuring local, regional and national performers. AHT operates under agreements with Actors' Equity Association in its 440+ seat intimate theatre. American Heartland Theatre is located downtown in Crown Center and is a proud member of www.kclivearts.org.

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