Metro Studio Theatre’s Home Run

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Tri-C Theatre Department hits a home run with “The Catch”

 

By Marc Prince, Acting Editor in Chief

Modern day comedy makes its community college debut on the Metro stage.

Tri-C’s Metro Studio Theatre promises to kick the long-awaited spring season off with a swing & a crack! We’re talkin’ baseball, or in the case of the theatre department’s spring production, “The Catch”. Inspired by actual events, the play follows a story that represents the American dream…from very different, but interesting, viewpoints. Directed by Theater department Professor Frederick Perry, and written by playwright Ken Weitzman, this production marks the first comedic production that Metro has presented on stage. Prof. Perry holds this play close to his heart. I spoke with him in a rehearsal interview as he explained his process for selecting a great play to put on as well as what particularly attaches him to this work.

[pullquote align=”right” textalign=”left” width=”30%”]“I want our audience to go from one picture of intense awareness to the next”.[/pullquote]“I was first introduced to the play 3 years ago…it stayed with me”, Perry exclaimed as we spoke of how he sat through a table reading of the original play and was instantly impressed with the story in itself. He continues, “I think the play is about American optimism and fathers and sons.” In the thought provoking comedy, a young man, against all odds, devises a plan that will change his life and the lives of his loved ones. Contingent on the success of a flamboyant baseball superstar, the situations that come along in this two act play covers all the bases…pun intended. Primary to the authenticity of the elaborate characters the story introduces to are, of course, the actors that present the work to the stage.

The Catch  Only at Metro's Theatre
The Catch
Only at Metro’s Theatre

Ricky Rose, who is making his Tri-C stage debut, will be depicting a major hitter in the baseball dramedy. When asked if he could give only a few words to describe the depth of the story, he simply says, “Seinfeld depressed (lol).” Lou Papes, the cast patriarch, adds that the play brings to light how the younger generation looks at life in general. “…putting on my ‘Sid’ hat, I think some college students (would-be peers to the lead character) think that everything is gonna work out for them…no matter what.” The character connections made in the story can be easily reflected in our every day society. People are just trying to make it by any means they can. Doctor Perry agrees with the correlation of the characters and the audience mostly because of his use of pictorial imagery when directing. “I want our audience to go from one picture of intense awareness to the next, and so on…” he continues, “If the audience doesn’t get it, then the play is flat”.

The curtain goes up for “The Catch at Tri-C Metro’s Studio Theatre on Friday, March 28 at 7pm. and ran through Sunday, April 6. Tickets are $10 for non-students and $5 for all students with valid school ID. Please visit cccvoice.com for more information or call 216-987-4211 to make reservations. Come out to enjoy a thought-provoking comedy that is all but sure to delight…and if you’re lucky, you may even get a quick glimpse of a certain handsome Voice staff member stealing a scene or two. See you at the theatre!

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