Good People, by David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Michael Whitehill, opens on April 10 for a three-week run at Church Hill Theatre. Set in hardscrabble South Boston, Good People takes on the touchy issue of class in American society. Often hilarious and sometimes painful, the play invites us to think about luck, opportunities both seized and ignored, and what it means to be a “good person.” In his laudatory NYT review Ben Brantley said, “In this play character really is fate,” observing that “there’s nothing pure about the goodness or badness of the folks who inhabit this play. This makes them…fully human….”
The play revolves around Margie Walsh, who has just been fired from her minimum wage job at a dollar store. Southie culture values loyalty, so Margie hopes an old boyfriend, now a successful doctor, might find her a job. Tough enough to escape poverty, Dr. Dillon now must confront both unsettled issues from his past and his troubled marriage to a much younger and more economically secure woman.
Kathy Jones, from Chester, plays Margie. Jones most recently appeared in CHT’s Lost in Yonkers. Other credits include Rabbit Hole, Cabaret and August: Osage County. In her first CHT role, Chestertown resident Lynn McLain plays Jean, Margie’s best friend and a natural-born troublemaker. Sheila Austrian, also from Chestertown, plays Margie’s money-grubbing landlady Dottie. Paul Briggs, from Easton, plays Steve Grimes, a bingo fan and Margie’s former boss. Dr. Michael Dillon will be played by Pat Martin, who has appeared in episodes of House of Cards and is an Actors Equity Member Candidate. Shelby Billups, a Queen Anne’s County High School student from Henderson, will play Kate, Dr. Dillon’s sophisticated younger wife. Billups has extensive acting credits that include six musicals and several plays.
Michael Whitehill, from Centreville, is the Chairman of the Church Hill Theatre Board and has directed numerous CHT productions, most recently The Miracle Worker. Peggy Chiras is the Assistant to the Director and Jusden Messick is the Stage Manager. Caitlyn Conley, a Southie native, is the location, dialect & acting coach. Doug Kaufmann designed the light and sound effects and Brian Draper provided the set decoration. Lindsay Bergman designed the show’s poster and Showbill graphics and Pat Patterson is the production photographer.
Good People, sponsored by CNB, runs from April 10-26, with performances at 8 pm on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 pm on Sundays. CHT offers special 2 for the price of 1 tickets on opening night, Friday, April 10, but only for those who call for reservations. The special offer will be honored at the box office on opening night if tickets are still available. Reservations for all performances can be made by calling the box office at 410-556-6003 or online at www.churchhilltheatre.org.
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