‘Mame’
to open at Carpenter Center
By Gina Ponce
On-line Forty-Niner
Musical
Theatre West is presenting “Mame,” a Tony
award-winning musical starring Carol Lawrence
and Sally Struthers at the Carpenter Performing
Arts Center.
“Mame” is based on the play “Auntie Mame”
by Jerome Lawrence and Robert E. Lee and
a novel by Patrick Dennis, which was a semi-autobiography
of his own life. The storyline is about
an orphaned boy who was brought up in the
environment of his aunt’s high life, said
Daniel Thomas, operations manager for Musical
Theatre West.
“The aunt is the central point of the story
and it’s kind of celebrating her independent
spirit,” Thomas said.
“Mame” first opened in 1966, starred Angela
Lansbury and was directed by Gene Sacks.
The musical was nominated for 11 Tony awards.
The cast of more than 40 has been practicing
for about three and a half weeks, Thomas
said. C. Lawrence appeared in “West
Side Story” and the recent production in
Long Beach, “Amy’s View.” Struthers has
been seen in “All in the Family” and many
other TV productions.
“A lot of people appreciate ‘Mame’ because
it’s a great period piece of the 1920s,”
Thomas said.
“Mame” begins Nov. 2 and runs through Nov.
17. Show times are Thursday and Friday
at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.,
Sunday at 2 p.m. and Nov. 10 at 7 p.m.
Tickets range from $20 to $45. They
can be purchased at the Musical Theatre
West office on Palo Verde.
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