44
Arts
January 2016
www.GilbertSunNews.com
Hale’s ‘Beau Jest’ appeals with wit and family theme BY SRIANTHI PERERA
Thirteen years ago, “Beau Jest” was Hale Centre Theatre’s very first show. It was produced for a second time and it’s running once again through Feb. 13 at the Gilbert theater. The play, with its central theme of family and relationships, doesn’t fail to appeal, said theater owner Dave Dietlein. It ran for a year in Chicago and was an Off-Broadway hit for two and a half years. “It has a lot of traditional family influence: tender moments, romance, tradition and comedy, and it’s very cleverly written. All of those elements combine to make for a great evening out,” he added. Playwright James Sherman’s comedy centers on an orthodox Jewish family in Chicago. Young school teacher Sarah Goldman (played by Laura Anne Kenney) has a problem with presenting her nonJewish boyfriend to her parents. Despite the protests of her boyfriend, Chris Kringle, she employs an escort service to send her a Jewish date for the duration of an evening’s dinner with her parents at
her apartment. The promised Jewish date, Dr. Steinberg, doesn’t pan out. Instead, Sarah has to make do with unemployed and aspiring actor Bob Schroeder (Aaron Blanco), who’s only too pleased to try out his skills. It turns out that Sarah’s “beau jest” is a terrific impersonator and her parents are highly taken up with the prospective son-in-law. Naturally, this leads to other problems. Director Jere Van Patten has done his best to present the story in an authentic manner. “There’s a huge emphasis on the Jewish culture. We have a Seder dinner, we have a Sabbath dinner and there’s all of these Jewish rituals that go into the show,” he said. Patten took the six-member cast to one of his friends’ homes for a traditional Seder so that they could experience it. Although the table settings change a few times, the overall show doesn’t have major set changes and everything takes place within Sarah’s apartment. Thus, conveying the essence of the
Laura Anne Kenney plays Sarah Goldman and Aaron Blanco plays Bob Schroeder, who impersonates as Sarah’s Jewish boyfriend in “Beau Jest,” now playing at Hale Centre Theatre in Gilbert. Submitted photo
story is important to appreciate the drama, said Patten, who is the theater teacher at Red Mountain High School in Mesa and adjunct faculty at Mesa Community College. “It’s all about keeping it honest. It’s about telling the story. It’s all about finding the truth in the material. It’s about keeping it fresh and telling the story from an honest point of view,” he said. “It is very funny but we don’t go for the joke.
When you play the joke it’s all flat. So we just play the truth, play the honesty and that’s what this cast is really good at.” “Beau Jest” plays Wednesday to Saturday through Feb. 13 at Hale Centre Theatre, 50. W. Page Ave., Gilbert. On Jan. 22, playwright James Sherman will attend and be available for an after-show chat with the audience. Tickets range from $18 to $28. Call (480) 497-1181 or visit www. haletheatrearizona.com for details.
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