Hampton Theatre Company Presents HEROES, Now thru 1/26

Three high-spirited World War I veterans confined to an old soldiers home seek to rise above their predicament and their limitations in the comedic and often touching "Heroes," the second play in the Hampton Theatre Company's 2013-2014 season in Quogue.

Translated from the French and adapted by Tom Stoppard from "The Wind in the Poplars" ("Le Vent de Peupliers") by Gérald Sibleyras, "Heroes" opens tonight, January 9 at the Quogue Community Hall and runs through January 26.

Winner of the 2006 Olivier Award for best new comedy during its run in London, the play earned four Molière nominations when the original opened in Paris in 2003.

Set in France in 1959, the play explores the three comrades' different paths to summoning their courage as they engage in comical and often absurd banter and fantasize about regaining their freedom, despite their age and other obvious limitations.

All three actors in the cast have appeared on the Quogue Stage in previous productions.

Tom Gustin, who played Starbuck in "The Rainmaker" and Serge in "Art," has the role of Gustave, the most recent arrival at the veterans home. Although ostensibly world-weary, Gustave is eager to keep moving and to establish his fitness to command.

George Loizides plays Philippe, slightly off-base in his thinking and prone to passing out unexpectedly due to a piece of shrapnel lodged in his brain. Loizides had roles in "Glengarry Glen Ross" and "Bedroom Farce" and directed "Bus Stop," "The Odd Couple (Female Version)" and "Picnic" for the HTC.

Cyrus Newitt, who played the ghost of the protagonist's father in A. R. Gurney's "Black Tie," has the role of Henri, the most pragmatic of the three brothers-in-arms. A resident of the home for 25 years, he is a proud man who refuses to let either his injured leg or a tyrannical administrator dampen his spirits.

Andrew Botsford, last seen on the Quogue stage in Alan Ayckbourn's "How the Other Half Loves," directs. The set design is by James Ewing; lighting is by Sebastian Paczynski; set decor by Diana Marbury; and costumes by Teresa LeBrun.

"Heroes" opens on January 9 and runs through January 26 at the Quogue Community Hall on Jessup Avenue. Showtimes are Thursdays and Fridays at 7, Saturdays at 8, and Sundays at 2:30. The Hampton Theatre Company will once again be offering special dinner and theater packages in collaboration with the Southampton, Westhampton Beach, Hampton Bays and Quogue libraries. Complete information about the dinner and theater packages is available on the company website, www.hamptontheatre.org.

To reserve show tickets, visit www.hamptontheatre.org, or call OvationTix at 1-866-811-4111.

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