Chrissy64_uk
16-04-2009, 09:05 PM
Cross-dressing pays well in new play
By: Jacob Divett
Two out of work actors try to cross-dress their way into a small fortune in the Las Cruces Community Theatre's new play Leading Ladies, directed by Ceil Herman, which opened Friday.
Corey Dlask and Matthew Esqueda star as the struggling actors Jack and Leo who hatch a scheme to swindle an old woman, Florence (played by Carmen Call), out of her fortune. They decide to pose as Florence's long lost nieces Stephanie and Maxine in hopes of receiving her millions when she dies, and of course they run into problems.
A couple of the problems are the real women Meg and Audrey, played by Amy Lynn Upshaw and Gidget Charmaine, respectively. They threaten to derail the whole scheme when Jack and Leo start to fall in love with them.
Leading Ladies moves quickly and comically from one hilarious scene to the next, putting poor Jack and Leo in one awkward situation after another.
"I've done a lot of plays here, but this has been the most challenging and the most rewarding," Dlask said. "It's definitely a stretch for me, and after this I'm never going to put high heels on ever again. Ever."
It was also a new experience for Charmaine, but for different reasons.
"I've done 10 other movies but I'd never done theater, so I wanted to expand my horizons and I decided to try out for this one," Charmaine said. "This is a great play and the cast has great chemistry."
Even Ken Eastlack, who plays Florence's doctor, had to do a little stretching, changing from 1950s attire into a Shakespearean costume right in front of the audience.
"I've gotten a lot of comments on that changing scene, and we just put it in last night," Eastlack said. "We were trying to think of a way to fill the time during that last costume change. I'm the one who has the hardest time, so I thought 'Why don't I just do it?' I'll make some comments and by the time I'm done everyone else will be done too."
The audience laughed right along, including Upshaw's husband and children, with one son feeling a little unsure about a few of his mother's kissing scenes.
"He was looking at his dad, then he was looking at the stage, then he was looking at his dad like, 'Dude!'" Upshaw said.
Leading Ladies was Herman's second time working with NMSU student choreographers Alyx Sanchez and Angel Favela. The result is a few hilarious dance sequences.
"It was challenging and they didn't ease up on us, they made us pretend like we were real dancers," said Call.
Leading Ladies runs April 10-26. Friday and Saturday performances are at 8 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Ticket prices are $8 for regular admission and $7 for students and seniors over 65. Children six and under are $5. For reservations, call the Rio Grande Theatre at 523-1200 or visit www.lcctnm.org.
By: Jacob Divett
Two out of work actors try to cross-dress their way into a small fortune in the Las Cruces Community Theatre's new play Leading Ladies, directed by Ceil Herman, which opened Friday.
Corey Dlask and Matthew Esqueda star as the struggling actors Jack and Leo who hatch a scheme to swindle an old woman, Florence (played by Carmen Call), out of her fortune. They decide to pose as Florence's long lost nieces Stephanie and Maxine in hopes of receiving her millions when she dies, and of course they run into problems.
A couple of the problems are the real women Meg and Audrey, played by Amy Lynn Upshaw and Gidget Charmaine, respectively. They threaten to derail the whole scheme when Jack and Leo start to fall in love with them.
Leading Ladies moves quickly and comically from one hilarious scene to the next, putting poor Jack and Leo in one awkward situation after another.
"I've done a lot of plays here, but this has been the most challenging and the most rewarding," Dlask said. "It's definitely a stretch for me, and after this I'm never going to put high heels on ever again. Ever."
It was also a new experience for Charmaine, but for different reasons.
"I've done 10 other movies but I'd never done theater, so I wanted to expand my horizons and I decided to try out for this one," Charmaine said. "This is a great play and the cast has great chemistry."
Even Ken Eastlack, who plays Florence's doctor, had to do a little stretching, changing from 1950s attire into a Shakespearean costume right in front of the audience.
"I've gotten a lot of comments on that changing scene, and we just put it in last night," Eastlack said. "We were trying to think of a way to fill the time during that last costume change. I'm the one who has the hardest time, so I thought 'Why don't I just do it?' I'll make some comments and by the time I'm done everyone else will be done too."
The audience laughed right along, including Upshaw's husband and children, with one son feeling a little unsure about a few of his mother's kissing scenes.
"He was looking at his dad, then he was looking at the stage, then he was looking at his dad like, 'Dude!'" Upshaw said.
Leading Ladies was Herman's second time working with NMSU student choreographers Alyx Sanchez and Angel Favela. The result is a few hilarious dance sequences.
"It was challenging and they didn't ease up on us, they made us pretend like we were real dancers," said Call.
Leading Ladies runs April 10-26. Friday and Saturday performances are at 8 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Ticket prices are $8 for regular admission and $7 for students and seniors over 65. Children six and under are $5. For reservations, call the Rio Grande Theatre at 523-1200 or visit www.lcctnm.org.