Hobson's Choice, a lighthearted Victorian comedy by
Harold Brighouse (1882-1958), is
scheduled for three matinee performances by The Autumn Players of Asheville
Community Theatre (ACT): Friday and
Saturday, November 15 and 16, in 35below at ACT; Sunday, November 17, at the Reuter Center
at UNC Asheville. Under the direction of Arnold Sgan and in partnership with
the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, this is the first of five productions of
the 2013-14 season of Readers Theatre Showcase. Curtain is at 2:30 pm. Tickets
are $5 cash at the door.
Hobson’s Choice was first produced in New York in 1915 and, then, in London in 1916 at the Apollo Theatre. The
1954 film version, starring Charles Laughton as Henry Horatio Hobson, has been
described as "a masterpiece of lusty, gusty, rowdy entertainment.” This lighthearted comedy is set in Victorian England
in 1880 at the time of emerging feminism and the rise of the middle class.
Henry Hobson, widower and boot-shop proprietor falls victim to both of these
forces as he faces-off with the “upishness” of his three unmarried
daughters. But Maggie, the eldest, turns
the tables on Hobson, leaving him with only one bad choice.
Director Arnold Sgan |
Director
Arnold Sgan is a retired education consultant and teacher educator. Since arriving in Asheville in 1970 with his wife Doris, he has
appeared in four Mainstage productions at ACT: The Price; The Diary Of Anne
Frank; Enter Laughing; and Not In The Book. Also, as a long-time
member of The Autumn Players, he has performed in eight Readers Theatre
Showcase productions and recently directed Light
Up The Sky.
The
Autumn Players is ACT's volunteer outreach company consisting of almost 100
seasoned actors, directors, writers and event organizers dedicated to taking
theater into the community. Since 1992,
the company has provided entertainment, enrichment, and education for thousands
of students, seniors, and in-betweens at venues within an hour or more from Asheville.
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