HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES Explores the Stage at Arts for Lawrence’s Theatre at the Fort
Three Bickering Couples, Two Disastrous Dinner Parties, and One Very Sticky Affair
The farce HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES, by Alan Ayckbourn, will take the stage at Art for Lawrence’s Theatre at the Fort as the season opener for The Belfry’s 59th season.
HOW THE OTHER HALF LOVES is a wild farce that follows three married couples whose lives are hopelessly entwined. Frank employs Bob and William and is considering William for promotion. Bob is having an affair with the boss’s (Frank’s) wife and argues constantly with his wife, Teresa. Mary thinks (incorrectly) that William, her husband, is having an affair.
The plot thickens when each of the adulterous parties, plays host to William and Mary at dinner parties on successive nights, both of which dinners end in disaster. As relations between partners deteriorate, matters become more confused and only the truth can restore order to chaos.
The inventive stage acts as a seventh character. “Typically, the stage is split, with the shoddy Phillips apartment set on one side and the posh living room of the Fosters on the other,” said Nicole Amsler, director. “Instead I envisioned a lenticular stage, where the stage is segmented into strips and action is overlapping, depending on which furniture and space they are interacting within. It adds a lot of fun to staging and blocking. It’s not unlike air traffic controlling.”
The cast consists of Tim Long (Frank Foster), Susan Hill (Fiona Foster), Sarah Froehlke (Teresa Phillips), Ronan Marra, Sr. (Bob Phillips), Lisa Warner (Mary Detweiler), and Ken Kingshill (William Detweiler.) The show is directed by Nicole Amsler.
How the Other Half Loves runs two weekends, September 22nd-October 1st, 2023. All evening shows (Friday and Saturday) are held at 7:30 pm. Sunday’s matinees start at 2 pm, with the first Sunday matinee (September 24th) featuring an ASL-interpreted show. Arts for Lawrence’s Theatre at the Fort is located at 8920 Otis Ave, Lawrence, easily accessible off I-465.
As the first show in its 59th season, The Hamilton County Theatre Guild, which operates The Belfry, has partnered with Arts for Lawrence for this show.
The rest of the season includes THE MAN WHO CAME TO DINNER (November 24-December 3rd, 2023) at Noblesville First United Methodist Church; ONE MAN, TWO GUVNORS (February 2-11, 2024) and FATHER OF THE BRIDE (March 15-25th, 2024), both at The Switch Theatre at Ji-Eun Lee Music; WAITING IN THE WINGS (April 26-May 5, 2024) and DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST JR. (July 24-28th, 2024) at Noblesville First United Methodist Church.
Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at https://www.artsforlawrence.