Del Mar Drama Opening Neil Simon’s Uproarious Farce, RUMORS, on Nov. 10 in Heritage Campus’ Finley Theatre (UPDATED: KEDT Interview Audio Included)
Production brings back glamor and glitz of late 1980s New York City; online advance ticket sales now available for two-weekend run
Article by DMC College Relations Office
(Updated with audio file on Nov. 6, 2023)
Things aren’t what they seem when four prominent, successful couples arrive at the home of New York City’s deputy mayor and his wife, Charlie and Myra Brock, for a 10th wedding anniversary celebratory dinner party. They find Charlie wounded in bed. Myra is missing. And, their marriage is not what it had appeared to be!
Regarded as one of acclaimed playwright Neil Simon’s most popular titles, Del Mar Drama presents their production of his uproarious farce, RUMORS, for a two-weekend run, Nov. 10-11 and Nov. 16-18, in the Sue Sellors Finley Theatre in the Fine Arts Center on Del Mar College’s Heritage Campus (101 Baldwin Blvd., 78404, get online directions and campus map).
Set in 1989, this period comedy reflects a world with house phones rather than cellphones, answering services instead of texting and societal scuttlebutt as the precursor to social media with the Brock’s invited guests conspiring to get their stories straight before authorities arrive after their evening is riddled with minor catastrophes and mayhem.
RUMORS is a peek back in time when status was conveyed in other ways besides Facebook posts and Instagram followers. It’s glamorous. It’s scandalous. It’s an uproarious farce.
The production is the first farce performed by Del Mar Drama since the wildly successful The Ladies Man by Charles Morey in 2014, which Yowell also directed.
RUMORS features a small cast of 10 characters, all played by DMC students who have performed in previous Del Mar Drama productions. The cast includes Edwardo Alejandre, Brennen Bellows, Miguel Cerda, Alexa DeLeon, Mia Dobbins, Erin Heflin, Sam Howarth, Kimberly Porfirio, Chloe Spencer and Ethan Sullivan. And, their characters represent upper middleclass New York professionals, including a psychiatrist, an aspiring politician, an accountant and a trophy wife, so, audiences can expect to see a lot of glitter, metallics and shoulder pads on stage.
Of costume designs, DMC Drama Professor Shara Haghjoo says, “It’s been so much fun dressing these young actors in the outfits that were stylish in New York City when I lived there. I worked in the fashion world, and I remember all of these trends firsthand.”
Rated PG-13 due to strong language, RUMORS starts at 7:30 p.m. each night with the Del Mar Drama Box Office opening at 6:30 p.m. Online advance ticket sales are now available at delmardrama.ludus.com/show_page.php?show_id=200441305 with ticket prices as follows: $10 general admission; $6 for seniors, military and DMC employees; and $3 for DMC students with a valid ID.
The Nov. 10 opening performance will feature a cash bar and post-production reception.
Additionally, Del Mar Drama invites all area students for a free showing on Student Appreciation Night scheduled Thursday, Nov. 16. Each student with a current valid I.D. will receive one free ticket and need to redeem their ticket in-person at the Del Mar Drama Box Office beginning one hour before the 7:30 p.m. performance. Student Appreciation Night also includes a post-production reception in the lobby.
For more information about the production and ticket sales, contact the Art & Drama Department at 361-698-1216 or Del Mar Drama at drama@delmar.edu.
Patrons can also visit their website at www.delmar.edu/degrees/drama/events.html.
Take a listen to Professor of Drama and RUMORS Director Carl Yowell during his interviw with KEDT Public Radio's Lon Gonzalez. The interview aired on Nov. 3, 2023, at noon.
Play audio file
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