The play “Good People,” written by Pulitzer Prize-winning David Lindsay-Abaire and directed by Chris Foster, is making its regional debut at the Curtain Call Theatre in Latham, with performances taking place through Feb. 8.
• What: “Good People”
• When: Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Feb. 8.
• Where: Curtain Call Theatre in Latham
• How much: $23
• Info: www.curtaincalltheatre.com.
Producer Carol Max said “Good People” looks at the dangerous consequences of people holding on to the past or leaving it all behind.
“It’s all about their struggles to get a better life and to get ahead and to make ends meet,” said Max. “It’s extremely timely; it’s happening all around the country. It takes place in south Boston but could just as easily take place in Latham.”
When Margie Walsh loses her job at a South Boston dollar store, she reaches out to old flame Mike, a South Boston boy who left the neighborhood and became a successful doctor. Margie’s attempt to hit Mike up for a job takes on a surprising twist when she realizes the power a secret from Mike’s past holds.
Max said selecting a play that’s a good fit for Curtain Call Theatre and the region is not an easy task.
“I read 600 scripts a year and most of them are not for us. (It) doesn’t mean they aren’t good plays, just not necessarily plays this area would enjoy. You have to go through a lot to get eight plays,” said Max.
The theater performs eight plays a season, which runs from September to August.
“Half of the season is new plays, meaning they haven’t been shown in the area, which is exciting because no one has seen them here before. You wouldn’t want to go to a movie you have seen a few times before,” said Max.
In order to pick out the cast, auditions are held for every play to make sure the audience is seeing new faces. Max said there are usually one or two new actors in most plays, but this play has three new actors that have never before performed at Curtain Call.
In 2007 the same team produced Lindsay-Abaire’s Pulitzer Prize-winning play, “The Rabbit Hole.”
“He (Lindsay-Abaire) is a young contemporary writer. The two I’ve produced are about today,” said Max. “Plenty of people can relate to these plays. The first one we did in 2007 was about losing a child, and lots of people can relate or at least empathize with that situation.”
Having been around for 20 years and now in its 14th full season with more than 100 plays under its belt, Curtain Call Theatre is well established in the Capital District. In the last two years, the theater has had two shows named the area’s “Outstanding Production.”
The play opened Friday, Jan. 10, and runs through Feb 8. Performances are Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $23 each.
“It’s very timely, which is most important because people can relate to it,” said Max. “It’s about today, it’s about life struggles and it’s about what people know. It’s different than doing something from the 18th century.”