CHESTERTOWN — Kurt Vonnegut’s comedy-drama “Happy Birthday, Wanda June” opens Friday, Aug. 9 at the Garfield Center for the Arts and continues on weekends through Sunday, Aug. 25.
Wanda June is a young girl who died before she could celebrate her birthday, having been run over by an ice cream truck.
Now residing in heaven, she hangs out with an assortment of odd and interesting characters who, along with Wanda June herself, have a connection to a big game hunter and war hero named Harold Ryan.
Ryan has been missing for several years in the Amazon rainforest with his adventurous friend Colonel Looseleaf Harper, a slow-witted aviation hero who had the unhappy task of dropping the atomic bomb on Nagasaki.
Wanda June’s only connection to Ryan is that her birthday cake, which colorfully displays the words “Happy Birthday, Wanda June” and was ordered before her vehicular demise, was purchased at a discount by one of two men who are in romantic pursuit of Ryan’s wife, Penelope.
The cake is meant to help celebrate the birthday party for Penelope’s long-missing and presumed-dead husband.
Things get very complicated, however, when Harold Ryan suddenly reappears on the verge of his legal declaration of death.
The play is described as “dark and wildly funny.” It contains mature themes and language.
In its earliest form, “Happy Birthday, Wanda June” originated under the title “Something Borrowed,” but was later changed to “Penelope” when it was performed at the Orleans Arena Theater in Orleans, Massachusetts in 1960.
It was made into a film in 1971 starring Rod Steiger, Susannah York and George Grizzard.
A news release states, “While the play is mired in 1960s and 1970s politics, its satirical views on war and killing continue to remain sharply relevant.”
The Garfield Center’s production is sponsored by Jim and Diane Landskroener.
“Happy Birthday, Wanda June” is presented by special arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French Inc.
The cast features a seasoned group of performers: Patrick Pearce as Harold Ryan; Adrienne Wrona as Penelope Ryan; Riley Rosati as Paul Ryan; Dominic Delcoco as Herb Shuttle; Bob Walton as Dr. Woodley; Michael Moore as Colonel Looseleaf Harper; Rooney Rosati as Wanda June; Ian Stotts as Major Siegfried Von Konigswald; and Suzanne Thuecks as Mildred Ryan.
This is JW Ruth’s first full-length production at the Garfield Center as a director, though he is well known to area audiences. He played the title character in the GCA production of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” and gave sidesplitting performances as Max in “The Play That Goes Wrong” and Uncle Fester in “The Addams Family Musical.”
Ruth is joined on the production staff by stage manager Jordan Dixon, costumer Barbi Bedell, set designer and digital projections designer Steven Arnold, and set builder and tech director Butch Clark.
Wendy Wiseman oversees props, Steffi Ricketts provides special digital props and Francoise Sullivan produces the program.
Tickets are on sale now at www.garfieldcenter.org or via the box office at 410-810-2060; box office hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays.
Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through Aug. 25.
The Garfield Center for the Arts is located at 210 High St. in downtown Chestertown.
