Article
Beginning July 31, the Sherman Community Players Board of Directors will be hosting a dinner theatre production of a new comedy, A BENCH IN THE SUN by Ron Clark, as a benefit for the local theatre group. This is the eighth year for the event, which in the past, has played to sold-out houses.
The format is very much like the dinner theatres in the Dallas area, which were so popular several years ago. The event will be held in the Honey McGee Playhouse located directly behind the Finley Theatre, and seating will be limited to only 96 people. Candlelit tables of four on varying levels surrounding three sides of the performance area make for a very intimate dining and theatre-going experience. A salad course is served, and then the first act of the play is presented, followed by the main course. The second act is performed next, followed by dessert, and then the final act. An attentive wait staff serves the catered meal, and complimentary wine is available.
A BENCH IN THE SUN is a three-character comedy about life, love and jealousy among the AARP set. The play deals with two old men who spend their days philosophizing and bickering on a bench in the garden of their retirement home. Their mundane lives soon get a jump start when a glamorous ex-actress moves into the home and proceeds to shake things up.
Playwright Ron Clark is one of the most prolific, successful and hilarious writers in the comedy business, having written for Jackie Gleason, Jackie Mason, the Smothers Brothers and Mel Brooks. Funnyman Brooks loves the play, calling it “very wise, very moving but most of all, very funny!”
The talented cast of veteran performers include Dick Malnory, who recently starred in SCP’s ON GOLDEN POND, Burl Proctor who appears regularly in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and Carolyn Montgomery, who has starred in numerous SCP comedies and dramas.
The dates for the show are Friday and Saturday evenings, July 31, August 1, 7 and 8 and Sunday afternoons August 2 and 9. The doors open for evening shows at 6:30 p.m. and 12:30 for the matinees. Tickets are priced at $35 per person for the dinner and the play.
Reservations are a necessity, as there will be no tickets sold at the door. Tickets went on sale in June during the SCP production of CAMELOT, and according to SCP benefit member Darlene Schweizer, most performances are nearly full. Reservations can be made by calling Mrs. Schweizer at 903-893-7652. Visa and Master Card are accepted.