You’re invited to the Beverly Hills home
of Sue Mengers, the first female “super-agent.” It’s 1981 and the New Hollywood
has begun to emerge. The phone’s not ringing so much these days and Barbra
Streisand fired her just yesterday. Sue drinks, digs, and dishes the dirt on
her famous clients. On this evening, Sue is forced to face the inevitable
truth: shattering the show biz glass ceiling might just get you cut in the
process.
John Logan’s solo play I’ll
Eat You Last is directed by Waylon Wood and stars Betsy Puckett. The
play will open Friday, May 6 and run through Sunday, May 22, 2016 with performances
Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 pm and Sunday afternoons at 2:30 pm.
Tickets
are available online, over the phone, or in person at the Asheville Community
Theatre Box Office. All tickets are $15.
The late Hollywood super-agent Sue
Mengers was a powerhouse of the 1970s and held a client list that included
Cher, Steve McQueen, Candice Bergen, Nick Nolte, Burt Reynolds and Barbra
Streisand. Deals were famously brokered over and under her dinner table: Chinatown, The French Connection and What’s Up Doc? After Hollywood turned its back on her,
Mengers (who died in 2011) became one of Beverly Hills’ top hostesses, with
A-List stars crowding her dinner parties and Mengers (joint in hand) at the
center of it all.
I’ll
Eat You Last is a one
character tour-de-force that recently enticed Bette Midler back to Broadway
after 30 years. Now, Betsy Puckett, local comedy legend, will fill the shoes
(or lack thereof) of the legendary Hollywood agent. “It’s a fantastic part and
my goal is to honor her spirit,” says Betsy.
“I jumped at the chance to stretch myself as an actor playing a
character who existed in real life. The play is hilarious and heartbreaking at
the same time…an actor’s dream.”
Sue Mengers’ Jewish family immigrated to
the United States during Hitler’s reign to escape the Holocaust. Settling in
upstate New York, Sue learned English from the black and white movies of the
day. She fell in love with that world and wanted to be part of it, badly. The
play takes place on the day after Barbra Streisand has personally fired her.
Now she’s waiting for the official call from the lawyers. It was this big blow
to her client list that lead to her slow Tinseltown demise. A story of great
highs and lows, Sue Mengers’ is a truly American story.
Waylon Wood will direct the play. Wood
says, “Sue Mengers was a woman in a male dominated profession. I love stories
of people overcoming obstacles and Sue overcame many. To listen to how she
navigated Hollywood is fascinating. The play forces me think of my mother, who
recently passed, and all the women of that generation who struggled in a man’s
world. Also, the chance to work with a talented lady like Betsy Puckett was
just too much fun to pass up.”
Be warned, this play contains profanity,
alcohol consumption, drug use, and gossip. “Sue was not for the faint hearted.
She doesn’t pull any punches, but in a hilarious and honest way.”
I’ll Eat You Last is the last show of ACT’s popular 35below
season and runs May 6-22, 2016. The
black box theatre holds only 40 seats, so reservations are strongly encouraged.
For tickets or information about Asheville Community
Theatre, please visit www.ashevilletheatre.org.
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