FRIDAY 3/21: Arts Reception, BIG Exhibit, ‘Odd Couple’

Friday evening, March 21, Cape Charles will be filled with the arts! It begins at 5:30 p.m. with a reception at the Stage Door Gallery and preview of the summer’s 2nd Harbor for the Arts Festival.  That will be followed at 6 p.m. by the opening reception for the exhibit BIG. Then, next door at 8 p.m. is the opening of the Neil Simon play, “The Odd Couple,” (female version).

The 5:30 p.m. wine and cheese reception will be followed by a brief preview of the upcoming 2nd Harbor for the Arts Festival scheduled for August 1-17.

The very successful festival last summer was supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts Our Town grant awarded to Arts Enter and its partners. The Town of Cape Charles, the Cape Charles Business Association, and the Citizens for Central Park and Arts Enter worked together to present the festival featuring “free live entertainment in public spaces.”

There were musicians on Mason Avenue, dance parties on Strawberry Street, musicians at the harbor, at the pier, in the park and in the theatre. An exciting Plein Air event drew artists from all over the region which concluded with a wet paint sale at the Stage Door Gallery. The festival also hosted an experimental film workshop that attracted faculty and students from all over the world to Cape Charles where there created original work combining dance and film. The preview will include a promotional video for the Experimental Film Virginia workshop as well as a slide show of last years festival and information about the events scheduled for this summer.

Following in the Stage Door Gallery at 6 p.m. is the opening reception of the current exhibit BIG, which features large original works by local and regional artists. The evening will be filled with music, conversation with friends, wine, and appetizers, along with comments from art professor and critic Frederick Bayersdorfer. The event is free and open to the public. All are encouraged to enjoy the collection of new works.

Friday also marks the opening of the very funny Neil Simon play, “The Odd Couple” (female version) being presented in the Historic Palace Theatre and produced by Arts Enter. Under the direction of Clelia Sheppard, several local performers including Susan Kovacs, Fran Loper, Joann Dean, Sherri DeMarino, Christy Iversen, Mellisa Stein, JP Pare´,  and Victor Abrahamian will light up the stage during this comical theatre classic.

Unger and Madison are at it again as Florence Unger and Olive Madison in this hilarious contemporary comic classic. Instead of the poker party that begins the original version, Ms. Madison has invited the girls over for an evening of Trivial Pursuit. The Pidgeon sisters have been replaced by the two Constanzuela brothers played by Victor and JP. But the hilarity remains the same! The play contains adult themes and is not appropriate for children.

American playwright and screenwriter Neil Simon is widely regarded as one of the most successful, prolific, and performed playwrights in the world and has received more Academy and Tony nominations than any other writer.

“The Odd Couple” (female version) continues Saturday evening at 8 p.m. and on Sunday, March 23 at 3 p.m. Tickets are available at the door or by calling 757 331-2787.