Nate Eppler's 'Filthy Rich' To Open At Chaffin's Barn On 9/08

 

Nate Eppler's original comedy Filthy Rich opens Tuesday, September 8, at Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre, directed by David Compton and starring a veritable who's who of Nashville comedy actors, including Layne Sasser, Erin Parker, Dietz Osborne, and the playwright himself, Nate Eppler. Described as "a bright farce full of crosses, double-crosses, false identities and fakery, Filthy Rich is hilarious, lunatic fun."

In Eppler's script, Larry and Frederick are two down-on-their-luck New York City grifters looking for a big payday. When they hear that a rich Russian widow living in a mansion in East Hampton is trying to marry off her debutante daughter, the cons pose as suitors, hoping to relieve the ladies of their fortune. They arrive to find a decrepit mansion, a half-blind old woman who truly believes she is Anastasia Romanov of the Russian royal family and a debutante daughter about 20 years past her prime. A bag of Romanov rubies keeps the swindlers focused, and pretty soon finds them competing for the debutante's attention as well as the loot.

Filthy Rich is directed by Chaffin's Barn veteran and audience favorite, David Compton, who last directed Don't Dress for Dinner, the first show of 2009. Compton is the speech and drama instructor for the Upper School at Franklin Road Academy. As an actor and director, Compton has over 25 years of professional experience and has won awards for outstanding direction and acting and holds a BFA in theatre from the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Among his favorite performances and directorial experiences at Chaffin's Barn are: Barefoot in the Park, The Odd Couple, A Thousand Clowns, The Fantasticks, Boeing-Boeing, The Boys Next Door and Sylvia. He has performed regionally with the Tennessee Repertory Theatre, Mockingbird Public Theatre and Chaffin's Barn Dinner Theatre and was a resident actor with Nashville Children's Theatre for five years.

The cast includes Eppler (last seen in Don't Dress for Dinner), Dietz Osborne (last seen as Paul in Barefoot in the Park), Layne Sasser (last seen in the Backstage holiday show Greetings) and Erin Parker, who replaces Martha Wilkinson.

In addition to his acting prowess, Eppler has been awarded for his work as a playwright with the Memphis Theatre Award for Best Play, the Chattanooga Theatre Centre New Play Award, and was named runner-up for the American College Theater Festival National Student Playwriting Award.

Reservations are required for Filthy Rich; call (615) 646-9977 to book your seats. The show runs Tuesday through Saturday evenings through October 10; the buffet dinner is served from 6 to 7:30 p.m., with curtain at 8 p.m. In addition, two Thursday senior matinees are slated for September 10 and 17. A Sunday matinee is set for September 13.

For more information about the remainder of the 2009 season and to learn about group rates for the holiday season, visit the website at www.dinnertheatre.com

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