Published 2008-06-06 04:52
Laughing all the way to the stage
PREVIEW. For the Metro Stage Company, the most ruthless part about working on the play called “Ruthless!” was the laughter. According to director and Metro Stage co-founder Robert Case, the gig-gles nearly hampered the productivity of the cast.
“Ruthless!” follows the story of Tina Denmark, an incredibly talented prepubescent performer, as she goes to extreme lengths to secure the starring role in her school play. The rest of the cast is an assortment of eccentricity, including a split-personality mother, a schoolteacher trying to get off meds; and talent agent Sylvia St. Croix, who was the main culprit for the laughter.
“Sylvia St Croix is played by a man in our production, Christopher Hagberg. This character who is very much like Joan Crawford in a day care center, is kind of asking for trouble a little bit, but she’s very eccentric and very over-the-top. He has just been a riot,” says Case. “We’ve had such a good time at rehearsals. It’s been a challenge to focus on what we’re doing and keep from laughing so much.”
Chris Teague, who founded Metro Stage with Case four years ago says the whole play lends itself to hilarity.
“This is not Rodgers & Hammerstein,” he says, “not even close.”
‘Ruthless!’
Through June 14
Cambridge Family YMCA Theatre
820 Mass Ave., Cambridge
MBTA: Red Line to Central
$20, 617-524-5013
www.cambridgeymca.org
