Original theatrical works are coming to Barrington! The newly formed Barrington Community Theatre, directed by Nancie Tobison, and Ellen Werksman Smith are proudly presenting the World Premiere of “Darn Cubbies”, “a family friendly musical fable of the Cubs pursuit of breaking the Curse of the Billy Goat to win the pennant!”
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This original script, written by Tobison, will be performed over two weekends in November at the new Parker Playhouse at 117 E. Northwest Highway in Barrington: Nov. 14-15 and Nov. 21-22.
The show was inspired by Jean Tolle’s book “The True Story of Barrington Baseball,” written in the 1970s about girls wanting to play baseball at A.C. Lines School.
“But Nancie has crafted it to include songs from other musicals as well. It is set in the future, but there are inside jokes and innuendoes from society today,” said Tobison.
“It is set in 2020 with the Cubs in pursuit of the Pennant…so much fun,” said Smith.
The story also evolved from an evil leprechaun in Tolle’s book, and changed to a goat, as from the “Billy Goat curse.”
The Parker Playhouse is a new theater venue in Barrington, currently planned to officially in the summer of 2016. Tobison and Smith have coordinated it in conjunction with BHSPAAE: The Barrington High School Performing Arts Alumni Endowment.
“The space is named in honor of our dear friend and fellow patron of the arts: Marc Parker. Marc’s dream was to continue to build the musical theater community in Barrington, through performances, events and educational opportunities for aspiring artists of all ages. Our goal is to create an intimate environment where participants will learn to communicate their artistic disciplines in close proximity to engaged audience, resulting in a more dynamic performance level,” wrote Smith in her letter to patrons.
For the time being, the group renovated the space to include a state-of-the-art dance floor and risers.
“The playhouse is in its raw form, but we want people to be exposed to our dream. Maybe they will want to participate by performing with us, donating to it, and possibly renting it. We want people in the community to feel that it is their playhouse as well,” said Smith.
“We are doing a minimalistic set designed by Judy Tolle,” said Tobison. “We want to try to do something great for the community.”
Nancie is so dedicated to the theater, she flies into Chicago each week on the Friday midnight flight, and returns Monday morning to teach college in Arizona.
“Darn Cubbies” has a cast of more than 30 people that range in age from 15 to over 50.
“Billy Goat” is played by Mike Miller; “Joe” the star baseball player is played by Matt Zhang; “Old Baseball Player” is Dan Thake, the “Wife of the Aging Fan”, Rusty Hart. Meghan Rivera plays “Lola” the heartthrob of “Joe”; David Good plays “Big Mike”, the timeless Chicago coach, Emma Bradford and Diana Donnelly are the “Girl Cubs,” with additional speaking roles played by Chip LaCasse, Greg Werner, Scott Badskey, Giacomo Moriando, Will Knoop, Judy Bruce, Marilyn Dato, Judy Tolle, Aiden Fox, Colin Fox, Lori Rowe, Emily Reynolds, Kevin Rowe, and Leary Anders.
Jeff Tolle and Lance Rogers are the announcers, and the Barrington Village Singers comprise the chorus, including: Tom Fox, Robin Fox, Chris Rudolphi, Lisa Yala, Sharon Schmidt, Megan Schmidt, A special treat is the tango created by Matt Zhang and Meghan Rivera, and an extra bonus for audience members will be a “Half Time” performance by Kevin Rowe, local rock guitarist and singer. The show is also highlighted with choreography by Ellen Werksman, costumes by Sharon Schmidt, and program by Louise Nelson.
The directorial duo are excited about “what we promise will be a clever and witty performance,” said Tobison. Cost is $15 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors, and will help support their goal of raising $30,000 for installation of lights, sound, technical equipment, web design, public relations and more.
Call 847-382-2789 to reserve your tickets or pick them up on Saturday or Sunday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. in October at 117 E. Northwest Highway.
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Kimberly Albrecht is a freelance columnist for Pioneer Press.