by A. R. Gurney, directed by Mary Ann Rodgers

A.R. Gurney is one of the most prolific playwrights in America, and The Cocktail Hour is one of his best. Set in upstate New York in the mid-1970s, this witty and urbane play follows John, a playwright who returns home to get his family’s permission to produce a new play he’s written about them. But his stuffy upper-class parents have concerns, as does his self-centered sister—who wants a bigger role! The confrontation spills over into cocktail hour, when recriminations (and martinis) start to flow.

(in order of appearance)
T. Louis Weltz (Bradley)
Eric Burke (John)
Christine Macomber (Ann)
Beth Deitchman (Nina)

Director: Mary Ann Rodgers
Production Manager: Maureen O'Donoghue
Set Design: Bruce Lackovic
Set Construction: Ian Swift, David L. Smith
Scenic Design: Megan Kenyon
Costume Design: Michael A Berg
Lighting Design: Ellen Brooks
Sound Design: Stephen Dietz
Property Design: Sue Anderson
Stage Managers: Shelley Sanborn, Robert Wilson
Booth Operator: Shelley Sanborn
Graphic Design: Ron Severdia
Box Office Manager: Shelley Sanborn
Volunteer Coordinator: Susan Suomi
Publicity Coordinators: Suzie Hughes, Tinka Ross
Publicist: Kim Taylor

 

"Mary Ann Rodgers directs a first-class ensemble of actors in a production that makes you laugh while you hurt."
 —Lee Brady, Pacific Sun

"Ross Valley Players' bravura new production of A.R. Gurney's autobiographical play features four distinct and fascinating performances by four distinct and fascinating actors and a brilliant directorial turn by RVP newcomer Mary Ann Rodgers."
 —Mark Langton, Marin IJ

"Expertly staged with committed performances, the Ross Valley Players' The Cocktail Hour is a strong beginning for 2008...a strong show: intimate, serious and witty, and a pleasant challenge sure to provide conversation for future cocktail hours."
 —Olga Azar, Marin Scope Community Newspapers, Member BATCC

"The Cocktail Hour is the best, most complete and satisfying RVP production this reviewer has seen to date... director Mary Ann Rodgers leads her perfectly pitched cast through...this marvelous and lovely show."
 —David Templeton, The Bohemian

 "An invigorating production....director Mary Ann Rodgers gets to the heart of the play."
—Richard Connema, Talkin' Broadway, Member BATCC

"An excellent cast helps keep the action upbeat and the humor dry. Macomber plays a very humorous self-confessed alcoholic, and Beth Deitchman is the perfect sister to put her brother John in his place."
—David Kashimba, Joint Forces Journal, Member BATCC

"...director Mary Ann Rodgers keeps a brisk pace allowing her very talented actors to exploit the nuances of the characters, plus having the benefit of a marvelous set (Bruce Lackovic) complete with a sunken cocktail area in front of the stage apron giving us the feeling of being part of the cocktail hour as the evening progresses. Christine Macomber steals the show with her superb understated performance."
—Kedar K. Adour, MD, Theatreworld Internet Magazine

"In A. R. Gurney’s play The Cocktail Hour, now at the Barn, Ross Valley Players has produced a vividly enacted version of this perceptive comedy."
 —Albert Goodwyn, San Francisco Bay Times, Member BATCC

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