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L.A. Theatre Works has been creating theater for public audiences and radio broadcasts across America, and they’ll be in Orono to perform The Prisoner of Second Avenue. Neil Simon’s bittersweet play about a married New York couple trying to make ends meet in the face of the husband’s unemployment will be performed as a stage reading by actors Sharon Gless and Richard Masur.
Adele Adkins, Associate Director of the Maine Center for the Arts, said she is excited about the event and expects the audience to enjoy the wit of Simon’s play as well as the talent. “I hope there will be lots of laughter! L.A. Theatre Works provides a great opportunity to bring top-level performers here at a reasonable fee. Because the production portion is less than usual, the money goes to the talent. We rarely get actors of this quality.”
Though the play will be recorded for radio, Adkins promises a “top-notch event” that will provide a level of audience engagement rare for this kind of performance. While there will be limited stage and props, the L.A. Theatre Works has a reputation for being a more unique, spontaneous kind of theater compared to traditional plays.
The Prisoner of Second Avenue is a play that explores the psychological costs of unemployment in a modern world where self-worth is linked to productivity. The play deals with heavy ideas in a light way that has earned Neil Simon a reputation as one of Broadway’s funniest writers of tragedy. Simon himself says he has always asked of his own writing, “What is a sad situation and how can I tell it humorously?”
The performance will take place Wednesday, March 8 at 7 p.m. at the Maine Center for the Arts. Students can get tickets for $5. Call 1-800-622-8499 for additional information on pricing.
