‘The Costume Ball’ launches PowPAC’s 29th season

PowPAC, Poway’s Community Theatre, kicks off its 29th season on Friday with the premiere of “The Costume Ball,” a comedy of mistaken identity that will run at the theater through Aug. 15.

The play tells the story of Harry and Gwen a married couple going to a masquerade ball. When his costume goes missing, she decks him out in an aunt’s old dress, just in time for a prospective business associate, Wilbur Wilberforce, to come knocking and see him in drag.

In a panic, Harry tries to pass himself off as “Hilary.” Things get complicated — and rolling — when Wilbur falls for the deception, and for Hilary.

Kate Hewitt directs. She’s a PowPAC regular, who recently directed the theater’s “Self Help” and appeared in “Murder Among Friends.”

In a phone interview, Hewitt said she signed on to direct the play after she read the script — by American playwright and actor Norman Beim — and found herself laughing out loud.

“It’s crazy and very funny,” she said. “It’s got a couple of twists to it and it’s just a lot of fun. If I’m reading a comedy and it doesn’t make me laugh, I don’t work on it.”

The play is also small, calling for only three actors. All of the cast members are newcomers to the theater, at 13250 Poway Road.

Haig Koshkarian and Marilyn Wolfe play Harry and Gwen, while John Fojtik plays Mr. Wilberforce.

Hewitt said bringing new faces to the theater is certainly a boost.

“People get tired of seeing the same faces,” she said. “It’s huge to have new actors come in and renew a theater and bring in their input.”

At the same time, Hewitt said, it’s more challenging as a director working with actors for the first time, especially after working on PowPAC’s “Self Help” last season, in which she worked with actors she was very familiar with.

“It’s like trying to build a new language,” she said. “I like working with people I’ve never worked with before.”

Hewitt said that part of the fun comes from the fact that the play and the author are not well-known.

“It makes it more interesting and it doesn’t give audiences anything to compare it to or to live up to,” she said. “It’s not like we’re doing Neil Simon or Agatha Christie or something that is well known.”

She added that the situation also allows her to have more control of the play and take it in her own direction, since there are no reference points to previous productions.

She said she was intrigued with the idea of putting a man in drag on the stage to see how the audience would respond, especially since the character is straight and not supposed to be glamorous.

“It’s interesting to see how it all comes together,” she said. “He ends up looking OK.”

The play is produced by Debbie David and Lynn Wolsey.

Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $15 for general admission and $13 for seniors, students and members of the military. There is a $2 surcharge for opening night, including a meet-and-greet with the cast and a party.

For more information, go to the theater’s website at www.powpac.org.

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Posted by unestidstwern on Jul 15 2010. Filed under Archive. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry