One of Neil Simon's more obsure plays this poignant, hilarious, and breezily nostalgic take on the sexual & political divides erupting in the 1960s, The Star-Spangled Girl is the perfect post-Valentine's Day apertif (or antidote?!).
Andy (Tomas Mauro) and Norman (Laird Reghenas) are roommates who fight "the system." They publish an underground magazine that generates just enough cash to make ends meet. Meanwhile, Sophie (Morgana Wyllie), a former Olympic swimmer and a deeply conservative woman from the South, moves in next door.
Norman falls for Sophie instantly; he's so obsessed that Andy is compelled to hire Sophie to keep the magazine afloat and his colleague on-task. But the matchmaking backfires, Sophie falls for Andy instead. A love triangle ensues. And the jarring political differences between Andy and Sophie threaten to destroy the magazine as that thorny beast called love may also take down the old buddies' friendship, too.
The Group Van Theatre Company production, helmed by visiting New York City director Emily Briggs, is both an homage to feminism's evolution and to the classic "boy meets girl" romantic comedies of Broadway's heyday. Group Van's founder/producer Laird Reghenas holds a deep commitment to live theatre, hoping to "share the best of Broadway with Western Canada."
On The Star-Spangled Girl: "Charm, brightness, deft inventiveness and capacity for good, honest hilarity." -New York Post
On Neil Simon: "One of the finest writers of comedy in American literary history." -Walter Kerr, New York Times, Theatre Critic (1966-1983)
Starring Morgana Wyllie (Sophie Rauschmeyer), Tomas Mauro (Andy Hobart), Laird Reghenas (Norman Cornell)
Director Emily Briggs
Stage Manager Jennifer Wilson
Producer Laird Reghenas
Set Designer Eric Carbery
Prop Master Melody Wilson
Costume Designer Marion Transetti
Lighting Designer Harika Xu
Poster Design Rob Eccles
The Revue Stage on Granville Island
1601 Johnston St, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3R7
February 23-March 7, 2018 (Preview: February 22) Wed-Sun at 8:00 PM, Sunday Matinees at 2pm
TICKETS: Kids Under 12 $10 | Seniors $15 | Students $20 | General, $25
On Sale Now at Brown Paper Tickets (bit.ly/TheGroupVan); Suitable for ALL ages
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