Thingamajig Theatre Company is pleased to present “Last Call at the Riptide,” a new comedy written by Pagosa Springs humorist Karl Isberg, is now in rehearsal, with opening night scheduled for tomorrow evening, Thursday March 16, at the Pagosa Springs Center for the Arts.
You can order tickets for the show on the theatre’s website at pagosacenter.org or by phoning 970-731-SHOW (7469). Tickets are $33.
The play is set in ‘The Riptide’, once the most popular nightclub on the Central Coast, a prime destination that drew patrons from far and wide. Then the local sardine industry crashed, the area became gentrified… and The Riptide is on the rocks. The comedy tells the story of the club’s owner and her team as they rally to save her beloved nightspot, facing major obstacles along the way.
“Riptide” is completely inappropriate for folks under 18… or folks devoid of a bawdy sense of humor…
Artist favorites return
The production is being directed by Melissa Firlit — an artist greatly admired by Thingamajig audiences for her work as the director of multiple hits from serious dramas like “Red” and “Proof” to blockbuster musicals like “Jekyll & Hyde, “Aida” and “West Side Story.” She also serves as the artistic director of the Thingamajig Playwrights Festival, which develops and workshops the work of emerging playwrights. She returns to Pagosa from her home in New York City.
The “Riptide” cast includes the playwright’s wife Kathleen Isberg, and his daughter Ivy King. Kathleen is well known for her performances in several community theater productions here in Pagosa Springs, including Stephen Sondheim’s “Into the Woods” and the well-loved Nunsense musical comedy series. Ivy King is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles and has performed in several Thingamajig productions including “Legally Blonde” and “Circle Mirror Transformation.”
The cast includes two actors new to Thingamajig audiences. Karisa Bruin, who now lives in Pagosa, performed for more than a decade in the famed Chicago improvisation scene and also created a one-woman show. Los Angeles native Dan O’Connor’s show business experience ranges from acting in theatre, TV and film to production, and set carpentry.
Tickets available now
“Riptide” opens on Thursday, March 16 and will be performed over two weekends: March 16-19 and 23-25. Evening performances are at 7pm with a Sunday matinee at 2pm on March 19.