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Theater and Arts
‘Leading Ladies’ opens Players’ season with a laugh
Patricia Scarborough
The Riverside Community Players open
their 84th season with a case of mistaken
identity. Visit the Players’ theatre-in-the-round
as they present Ken
Ludwig’s hilarious farce Leading Ladies, playing
for three weekends September 5 through 21.
Embarking on their 84th consecutive season
of live theatre in the inland valley, the popular
playhouse chose a side-splitting comedy as the
season opener to get theatergoers in an upbeat
mood. The play centers on two down-on-theirluck
Shakespearean actors, who, while touring the
Amish country, hear that an old lady in York,
Pennsylvania, is about to die and leave her fortune
to her two long-lost English nephews. The
actors resolve to pass themselves off as her
beloved relatives and get the cash.
However, when they arrive in York, they discover
that the relatives are not nephews, but
nieces! Romantic entanglements and mistaken
identities abound as the English actors and the
American family frantically scramble around the
York estate.
Playwright Ken Ludwig, whose previous
comedic hits include Lend Me a Tenor and Moon
over Buffalo, continues to prove that he is one of
the best and most popular comedic writers of our
time. “Ludwig’s shows are difficult to cast and
produce because they are so fast-paced and intricate
with people coming and going and with
exquisite timing being crucial. We are lucky to
have a professional theatre veteran like Patty leading
this production,” Jennifer Lawson, RCP
Board Member, said
The “Patty,” to whom Lawson refers, is local
favorite and award-winning actress and director
Patricia Scarborough. A long-time Riverside resident
who is well known for her many leading
roles at the Mission Inn Dinner Theatre and the
Riverside Civic Light Opera, which later evolved
into Performance Riverside, Scarborough is a
modern-day Renaissance woman. “If the task is
theatrical, Patty can do it,” Lawson said. “She is
a glorious actress and singer who can also direct,
teach, design and paint sets, design and construct
costumes, and even be a foley artist (creating
sound effects) for radio programming.”
To help Ms. Scarborough realize her vision of
the show, Riverside Community Players put
together a top-notch production team. Rick and
Donna Sisk of Riverside once again do a beautiful
job with the lights, sound and set. Long-time
RCP members Ted and Rory Dyer are the costumers,
with Sue Ann Dearing of Riverside serving
as wardrobe mistress. Tony Harris is the assistant
to the director for the production.
Talented members of the cast hail from all
over the Inland Empire and include Kristen Aoun
of Corona, Kathy Scileppi and Henry Nickel of
Riverside, Kyle Anders of Beaumont, Ralph
Griffey of Redlands and Melisa Morrow of
Rancho Cucamonga.
The new season opens September 5, and
Leading Ladies will take its final bow on the 21st.
For ticket reservations and season ticket information,
call the Riverside Community Players’ box
office at (951) 686-4030. The box office also will
be open for walk-up business starting on
September 1, and will be open Monday-Saturday
6pm-8pm and Sunday 12pm-2pm throughout
the run of the show. Tickets are $15. There will
be no late seating, and no children under 5 years
of age will be admitted.
The Riverside Community Playhouse is at
4026 14th Street in Riverside, between
Magnolia and Brockton. On the day of the
show, the hour prior to curtain time is
reserved for business pertaining to that performance
only. You may visit the RCP website
at www.riversidecommunityplayers.com. IER
Continued from page 22
Voodoo Daddy, Oct. 4, 8pm. Tickets
$51.50. • Capitol Steps, Oct. 5, 2pm.
Tickets: general $31.50, senior $29.50,
youth $25.50. • 12505 Cultural Center
Dr., Rancho Cucamonga. lewisfamilyplayhouse.com.
(909) 477-2752.
OLD TOWN TEMECULA COMMUNITY
THEATER: • Jazz at the Merc,
Thursdays at 7:30pm, $15. A different
jazz group each time, at the
Mercantilee, 42051 Main St. • Live at
the Merc, Fridays, 7:30pm, $15. •
Damn Yankees, Sept. 5, 8pm, Sept. 6,
2pm and 8pm, Sept. 7, 2pm. Tickets:
$20. • The Taming of the Shrew,
Sept. 12-21. Tickets: adults $20, seniors
$15. • 42051 Main St., in
Temecula. www.temeculatheater.org.
(866) 653-8696.
Continued on page 35
The Victoria Gardens Cultural Center
a shining spotlight in the Inland Empire
Located at the shopping mecca of Victoria Gardens in Rancho Cucamonga, the Victoria Gardens Cultural
Center, home to the Paul A. Biane Library and the Lewis Family Playhouse, has fast become a place for people
of all ages to embrace literature and performing arts.
In addition to the wonderful selection of professional performers that grace the stage of the Lewis Family
Playhouse – this season includes performers such as Pat Benatar, Art Garfunkle and the Village People as well
as MainStreet Theatre Productions of James and the Giant Peach, A Year with Frog and Toad and Ferdinand
the Bull, plus many other performances - acting enthusiasts of all ages and talent ranges can pursue their
dreams of being in the spotlight.
The City of Rancho Cucamonga Community Services Departments Theatre Arts Academy provides a
slew of class and workshop offerings starting with classes at age five years old with many teen and adult class
offerings – Broadway Babies, Singing for a Lifetime, Adult Choral Troupe, Adult Improv and Movie
Monologues to name just a few.
The Rancho Cucamonga Community Theatre program offers opportunities for those with the acting bug
to keep their day jobs but fulfill the passion of their acting dreams. The Community Theatre program is so
well respected, many professional actors audition to hone their skills while waiting for their “big break.”
In addition to the multitude of literary opportunities the Paul A. Biane Library offers the community at
large through virtual resources and in-house programs – the Library and Community Services team partner
several times a year to host free cultural events and programs in the Bank of America Imagination Courtyard.
Visit www.vgculturalcenter.com for information on classes, Community Theatre Auditions, events
and programs offered at the Victoria Gardens Cultural Center.
September, 2008 INLAND ENTERTAINMENT REVIEW 25