Thursday, September 8, 2011

Mary Beth Evans' "Murder at the Howard Johnson's" Opens Sept. 22; Same Day She Returns To DAYS

Studio C Artists has announced a six-week run of "Murder at the Howard Johnson’s," written by Ron Clark and Sam Bobrick, directed by John Coppola, and starring Mary Beth Evans (THE BAY; DAYS OF OUR LIVES), Wilson Green, and Patrick Muñoz.

The show, produced by Michelle Appezzato, with Executive Producer Michael Sonntag, opens Thursday, September 22nd at 8 p.m., and continues on alternating dates through October 28th at the Studio C Artists performance space along Theatre Row in Hollywood. Opening night just happens to be the same day Evans starts shooting at DAYS OF OUR LIVES again.

"Murder at the Howard Johnson’s" is an uproarious screwball comedy, about a love triangle and three murder plots that all take place at a Howard Johnson’s Motor Inn. This production is set during the height of the Great Depression – times are tough, desperation is in the air – and Arlene’s passion-less marriage to Paul has her wanting for more. Much more. That’s where Mitchell comes in – he’s their dentist, and also Arlene’s secret lover. Act one – Arlene and Mitchell meet at the HoJo’s
to kill Paul, but fail.

Act two – Arlene and Paul reunite, and meet at the motel to kill Mitchell; they fail too. Act three – Paul and Mitchell, who have now both been dumped, pair up at the Howard Johnson’s to do-in Arlene. It’s a madcap farce that will be sure to keep you laughing!

"Enough laugh lines, mirth provoking situations and extravagant sight gags to outfit two rapid fire farces of the absurd." - Variety

"A holiday of laughter… Beautifully polished, very funny very American comedy." - WNBC TV

Mary Beth Evans has been acting since fourth grade, when she was voted Best Actress in her class. Since then, she is most known for her performance as Kayla Brady Johnson on NBC’s daytime drama DAYS OF OUR LIVES. Mary Beth’s stage credits include Hotel Paradiso and All in Favor Say No at the South Coast Repertory, All This and Moonlight, Love Letters, Night of the Iguana, The Tangled Snarl, and most recently Barbara’s Wedding at the Blank Theatre’s 2nd Stage. Her other television credits
include contract roles on General Hospital and As the World Turns, and numerous guest spots including Body Of Proof, Criminal Minds, Nip/Tuck, Monk, and Law & Order SVU. She is currently producing and starring as socialite Sara Garrett in the web soap THE BAY: The Series. In addition to acting, Mary Beth is also founder and president of Mary Beth’s Apple Pie Company – her pies are now featured in the Williams-Sonoma catalogue during the Thanksgiving-Christmas holidays.

Wilson Green grew up in Burbank, CA in the shadow of the studios, so a profession in acting wasn’t ever far away. Over the course of a varied career, he has amassed some significant credits - making appearances in numerous films, national commercials, and daytime dramas. Most notably, he created the role of “Mr. Matt’s Dad” in the television series Myself.

His previous stage work includes five appearances in the Blank Theatre’s Young Playwrights’ Festival, three at the Blank’s Living Room Series, and one in the Blank Theatre’s Main Stage Production of Dickie & Babe. Most recently, Wilson starred in Barbara’s Wedding at the Blank’s 2nd Stage.

In addition to being a prolific voice-over actor and coach, Patrick Muñoz has a long list of credits in the theater, as well as on film and television. Patrick has appeared at the Laguna Playhouse in Who’s Hot/Who’s Not, Don’t Dress for Dinner, Othello, Beauty and the Beast, and The Liar. He has also performed in Lulu (Pacific Resident Theater), Measure for Measure (Morgan-Wixson), The Odd Couple (Meadow Brook), A Funny Thing Happened…, You Never Can Tell, Merry Wives of Windsor
(Occidental Theater Festival), 12th Night, Macbeth, The Tempest (Grand Canyon Shakespeare), Ballad of the Blacksmith, and The Way of the World (The Old Globe). Patrick’s TV/Film credits include Streets, The Agency, The Street King, and Morning Tide.

John Coppola was born into a filmmaking family in Brooklyn, NY, and has had a multifaceted career as a director, producer, actor and teacher. He began his acting career over twenty years ago while attending Yale’s prestigious Dramat Purple Crayon. He has appeared on Broadway numerous times (Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, American Buffalo) and in films such as Into the Paradise, Last Exit to Brooklyn, Out of Gas on Lover’s Leap, and You Gotta Leave Your Mark. As a director, John has helmed over 25 theatrical productions in New York, Los Angeles, and abroad. The movie Possibility, which he directed, took the 2005 Grand Jury Prize for short film at the New York International Film and Video Festival. As part of Studio C Artists, John offers private coaching to a thriving group of students, established actors, and movie stars.

The running schedule for Murder at the Howard Johnson’s is as follows:
Thursdays, September 22nd and 29th, October 6th, 13th, 20th, and 27th, 2011, at 8 p.m.

Fridays, September 30th, October 14th and 28th, 2011 at 8 p.m.

Saturdays, September 24th, October 8th and 22nd, 2011 at 8 p.m.

One matinee on Sunday, September 25th, 2011 at 3 p.m.

Approximate running time is two hours.

The ticket price is $22.50 for general admission, with an Opening Night price of $30 (which includes a Depression-era cocktail), and reservations can be made by visiting murderathojos.eventbrite.com.

The engagement ends on Friday, October 28th.

Studio C Artists is located at 6448 Santa Monica Boulevard, on Theatre Row, in Hollywood. Produced by special arrangement with Samuel French, Inc.

4 comments:

  1. Here's wishing the play much success! I'm really looking forward to what's coming this fall, Mary Beth as Sara on The Bay, and now we get Kayla back on Days! Excellent!!!

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  2. I'm happy about this too!! I have always loved Mary Beth Evans and I'll be very glad to see her as Kayla again.

    Thanks for letting us know!

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  3. Fantastic news, can't wait to see Mary Beth Evans back as Kayla on Days. Come on Days put her on contract ASAP.

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  4. There's my reason to tune Days back in again! It's always a treat to see MBE as Kayla. She's a very talented and beautiful actress. Can't wait to see her in the play as well. She was brilliant in Barbara's Wedding, no doubt she'll rock this one, too.

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