By CEECY NUCKER, Correspondent, ccnucker@yahoo.com
 | Submitted Photo
From left: Wives Ethel Pomfrey, played by Susan Umlah, and Mildred Roper, played by Jess Wittliff, confront their ne'er-do-well husbands Humphrey Pomfrey, played by Eric Wittliff, and George Roper, played by Terry J. Aman, in the Minot Area Theatrical Society's production of "When the Cat's Away."
“When
the Cat’s Away” runs Thursday through Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at
2 p.m. at the Parker Senior Center. Admission is $7 for adults, $5 for
seniors and $4 for children. Add $10 for dinner theater performances
Friday and Saturday, which includes the meal. For reservations,
required for dinner shows, call 852-2290.
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There’s little question about who the mice are in this play – just about how playful they actually get.
Director
Heather Tallman outlined “When the Cat’s Away,” a comic British sex
farce by Johnnie Mortimer and Brian Cooke, which Tallman updated and
adapted for the Minot Area Theatrical Society production.
Ethel,
played by Susan Umlah, and Mildred, played by Jess Wittliff, are
sisters. “Ethel decides to leave her husband, Humphrey (played by Eric
Wittliff), when she suspects he’s having an affair with his secretary,
Jennifer (played by Katrina Johnson).” Tallman said. “Ethel declares
she’s moving in with Mildred and her husband, George (played by Terry
J. Aman), who live in a one-bedroom house.
“George is not overly
enthusiastic, not being very appreciative of his sister-in-law or her
husband,” she said. “Also, Mildred has scheduled a second honeymoon for
them that he isn’t happy about, so the sisters decide to go on the trip
together.
“When the girls leave on their trip, Humphrey turns up
with Jennifer and her roommate, Shirley (played by Nicolette Nelson),”
Tallman said. “George becomes an unwilling mouse, while Jennifer and
Shirley are the cheese.”
The cats, then, return unexpectedly because of an airport strike, and hilarity ensues.
New, returning cast
There
are some new faces in the cast. Johnson is a Job Corps student who did
some theater in high school. This is her first foray into community
theater.
Jess Wittliff is a radio personality on Clear Channel
radio, and has done improv work in high school, while Eric Wittliff,
her brother-in-law, is following his wife, Heather, and son, Michael,
onto the MATS stage. He has worked behind the scenes in the technical
crew of several shows recently, but this is his first time on stage.
The
other half of the cast is experienced, to say the least. Nelson has
appeared in numerous MATS productions. Aman is participating in his
26th show for MATS, qualifying him for a place in the troupe’s Walk of
Fame. And while Umlah has appeared in several shows, this one stands
out, she said, as being the one with the most costume changes.
Tallman
said she has a “marvelous” cast to work with for her mainstage
directing debut, with the assistance of co-director Christine Carder
and stage manager Amanda Kraft.
She said it is a natural fit for a freshman with a double major in theater arts and English education at Minot State University.
“During
this production, I’ve been in two mainstage shows – ’The Laramie
Project’ at MSU and ’Harvey’ with the Mouse River Players,” she said.
“We’ve started rehearsals for the (Minot State) Christmas show.”
Tallman
is also working for the Mid-Dakota Chapter of the American Red Cross,
teaching basic and advanced classes in health and safety. |
