CONNEAUT — A fable about second chances and divine intervention, “Heaven Can Wait,” will be staged this weekend and next at the Conneaut Community Center for the Arts, 1025 Buffalo St.
The story deals with boxer Joe Pendleton, who is mistakenly whisked to heaven, only to get another shot back on Earth in the form of a murdered financier. The story delighted movie audiences in 1941 in "Here Comes Mr. Jordan," and again in 1978's "Heaven Can Wait,'' starring Warren Beatty. In the latter, Joe is pro football quarterback instead of a boxer.
The CCCA's show skews more to the original production, said Tom Udell, who co-directs the show with Michael Breeze.
“We're doing the older version,” Udell said. “It's a comedy-fantasy. There's a lot of good humor in it.”
Thirteen actors, many of them veterans of previous shows, have been cast. While no strangers to community theater, “Heaven” posed some unique problems for Udell’s troupe.
“Nobody on earth can see Mr. Jordan (an angel and Joe’s mentor),” Udell said. “That's a big challenge to actors on stage. They have to pretend they can't see him.”
“Heaven” marks the CCCA’s second foray into bigger-name shows, following a successful staging of “Harvey” earlier this year. It's no coincidence, Udell said.
Conneaut theater is beginning to attract attention, resulting in more credibility, bigger audiences — and more money at the ticket window, Udell said. The extra dollars allows the CCCA to pay royalties for well-known productions, he said.
“We're becoming more legitimate,” Udell said. “This is our ninth production and we're getting a little more well-known. We're getting a following and attendance is growing. It allows us to do shows people have heard of.”
The arts center is also attracting actors from Geneva, Ashtabula and Andover to complement the local talent, Udell said. “We have a nice, solid group, but we also like to bring in new actors,” he said.
“Heaven Can Wait” will be performed at 7 p.m. today and Saturday; 3 p.m. matinee Oct. 18 (a special coffee and dessert show); a dinner theater presentation at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 23 and a regular show at 7 p.m. Oct. 24. Reservations are required for the matinee and dinner shows.
Tickets are $12 or $10 for regular performances; $8 for the matinee and $22.50 or $20 for the dinner show. The dinner menu includes mixed greens, roasted red potatoes, chicken and stuffing, vegetables, rolls, beverage and dessert.
For information and reservations, call the CCCA at 593-5888.
WEEKENDER / Entertainment
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