East Lynne Theater Company Presents Helpful Hints 9/22-10/23

"What was good for the baby forty years ago is not good for the baby of today. Today, it is widely recognized that if the baby wants to cry, let it do so. The best therapy for the baby is to leave it alone, to put it outdoors, and to seemingly forget all about it," says Mae Savell Croy, giving a lecture on children and household duties in the stand-up comedy-style production of "Helpful Hints."

Other "hints" include how to clean the stove and clothes with kerosene and the importance of a cheerful doctor. Along the way, Mrs. Croy also divulges something of her personal life, including her leanings towards the suffrage movement and her admiration for up-and-coming film star, Douglas Fairbanks.

The advice is real, however, taken from "Putnam's Household Handbook," written by Mrs. Croy, published in 1916. This witty adaptation, written and performed by Susan Tischler, was so popular the last two seasons, that The Mad Batter asked to present is as a dinner show event in the fall.
The process of creating "Helpful Hints" began in December, 2007, when East Lynne Theater Company's artistic director Gayle Stahlhuth suggested adapting the book to Susan Tischler, but "Helpful Hints" is not the first play that Gayle has commissioned. She suggested to Jill Dalton that she research Lizzie Borden, and in 2008, "Lizzie Borden Live" was first performed in Cape May, and she suggested to Lorna Lable that she might be interested in Emma Goldman, and "Emma Goldman: My Life" premiered this past June. "Lizzie" has performed extensively in Arizona, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and NYC, and already organizations have contacted ELTC about booking "Emma." The mission of the award-winning East Lynne Theater Company is to produce provocative classics and history-based contemporary entertainment that deal with the uniquely American experience, which means that Gayle spends time not only reading plays that haven't been produced for seventy-five years, but also pursuing American literature and topics that might work for adaptations.

Karen Case Cook, who also directed East Lynne's "Alice on the Edge," "The Guardsman," and "Emma Goldman: My Life," is once more directing "Helpful Hints." Rob LeMaire, who was in ELTC's recent comedy, "The Dictator," is playing the Stage Manager, the role he originated in 2008.

There are only eight performances of "Helpful Hints," playing Sunday ant Monday night, from September 26 through October 18 at 7:00 at The Mad Batter, at The Carroll Villa Hotel, 19 Jackson Street. Tickets for dinner and the show are $50; $45 if staying at The Carroll Villa Hotel. To make a reservation, call ELTC at 609-884-5898 or visit the web site: www.eastlynnetheater.org, or contact The Mad Batter directly at 609-884-5970.

Meanwhile, ELTC's production of the time-travel adventure "Berkeley Square" is performing form September 22 through October 23 at The First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes St. in Cape May, where the is in residence.

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