Award-winning Retro Productions, under the Artistic Direction of Heather E. Cunningham, will present the critically acclaimed play, And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little written by Paul Zindel. The production runs May 5th through May 20th at the Gene Frankel Theatre. Shay Gines, a Founding Executive Director of the New York Innovative Theatre Awards, directs. This is the 50th anniversary of And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little. The play was originally produced in Los Angles in 1967, and in 1971 the comedy opened on Broadway at the Morosco Theatre.
And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little is an often biting and occasionally touching black comedy of the late 60s that centers on the lives of the three Reardon sisters, whose father abandoned the family long ago, and whose mother has recently passed away. The sisters, now adults and all working in the New York City public school system, have come to a crossroads – the youngest sister, having barely survived a scandalous incident at school, has suffered a nervous breakdown. When the married sister comes back to the childhood apartment the two unmarried sisters now share in an effort to commit her sibling to an institution, the built-up resentments of the last decade are pushed to the forefront. Should Anna be committed? Is it in her best interest or is it just easier for Ceil if she doesn’t have to care for her? Is it selfish of Catherine to want to keep her at home? Who is strongest in this fight of wills – and does Catherine really need another cocktail?
The cast features Wynne Anders (Off-Broadway Claymont/Emerging Artists Theatre), Christopher Borg (Charles Busch’s Judith of Bethulia/Theatre for the New City), Heather E. Cunningham (NYIT Award for Best Actress in An Appeal To The Woman Of The House/Retro), Rebecca Holt (Broadway How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying with Matthew Broderick and Megan Mullally), Amanda Jones (Off-Broadway Candida/Jean Cocteau Repertory), Sean J. Moran (Widows directed by Hal Brooks at 59E59), and Sara Thigpen (NYIT Award for Best Actress in Burning the old Man Jo/Boomerang Theatre).
The creative team includes set design by Jack & Rebecca Cunningham, costume design by Ben Philipp, lighting design by Asa Lipton, sound design by DeLisa M. White, properties design by Sara Slagle, and stage management by Elizabeth Ramsay.
All performances take place at the Gene Frankel Theatre, 24 Bond Street (Between Lafayette & Bowery), New York, NY 10012. Subways: 6 to Bleecker Street, B/D/F/M to Broadway/Lafayette. Tickets are $25.00 (adults), $22.00 (students/seniors), and are available at www.retroproductions.org – $10.00 student rush tickets are available at the box office 15 minutes prior to curtain (cash only). Running time 90 minutes.