FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE & BROADCAST

 

May 7, 2006

Salinas, CA

 

Press contact only: Dawn Flood (831) 755-6976

publicity@westernstage.com

 

Please see release for all appropriate public information

 
 

 


 

Enjoy The Time of Your Life at The Western Stage

 

The Western Stage (TWS) begins its 2006 season on June 9 with William Saroyan’s Pulitzer Prize winning comedy “The Time of Your Life”. Pull up a barstool at Nick’s waterfront saloon in San Francisco where Joe, a kind and enigmatic regular, encourages the motley ensemble of souls who dwell there to follow their dreams and savor the time of their life. The production plays through July 2 in the Studio Theater, Hartnell College Performing Arts Center. Show times are Fridays and Saturday at 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm. Season tickets are still the best deal, saving subscribers up to 42% off the door price. Tickets are $20 General Admission, $16 Seniors/Juniors/Military.  To reserve your bar stool for this classic American comedy, call the ticket office at (831) 375-2111 or order online at westernstage.com. (135 Word PSA)    

 

 

Salinas, CA — May 7, 2006

 

In the prologue to his 1939 play “The Time of Your Life”, William Saroyan left little doubt about the theme of his new barroom drama. “In the time of your life, live—so in that wondrous time you shall not add to the misery and sorrow of the world, but shall smile to the infinite delight and mystery of it.”

 

On June 9, The Western Stage, the Central Coast’s Premier regional theatre, gives audiences the opportunity to join Saroyan in his celebration of the human spirit with the opening of “The Time of Your Life” in its intimate Studio Theater. The production, which plays through July 2, promises to serve up the pain, joy, cruelty, and kindness of the human experience in all its beauty and mystery.

 

Set in Nick’s waterfront saloon, a colorful San Francisco dive where the jukebox is always on and the drinks are always strong, Saroyan creates a timeless drama about the struggle to continue on in a seemingly indifferent world. The colorful denizens of his bar may be searching for a sliver of hope amid the despair of the Great Depression, but their pipe dreams and Sisyphean perseverance in the face of insurmountable odds ultimately give voice to the plight of all humanity.

 

There is Harry, the aspiring stand-up comic whose about as funny as a door knob; Kitty Duvall, the down on her luck prostitute forever being harassed by Blick, the villainous vice-squad cop; Kit Carson, the buckskin clad cowboy with no shortage of side-splitting homespun yarns; and, anchoring them all together, Joe, a mysterious patron who spends his days warming a bar stool, guzzling champagne, and extending a helping hand to the all the hard luck stories parading around him.

 

It is through the character of Joe that Saroyan explores his central theme. On the surface, Joe’s kindness towards the denizens of Nick’s Saloon seems to make him the embodiment of Saroyan’s message.  Not only does Joe take delight in watching people live their lives, but he also draws on his mysterious fortune to ease the suffering he sees around him. His relationship with Tom, his not-so-bright go-for boy, best showcases this role. In addition to paying Tom to go on meaningless scavenger hunts, Joe also takes on the role of matchmaker when Tom develops a crush on Kitty Duvall. Yet, like all interesting literary characters, Joe is problematic. If taking action in the world is they key to truly living, as Saroyan suggests in the prologue, then Joe could also be viewed as more object lesson than hero. For all his kindness and generosity, he is a man unable to act…and thus, ultimately, unable to live…except through others. (For more on this, please see supplemental article.)

 

A native of Fresno, California, Saroyan is best known as one of the most prolific short story writers of his generation. Although his dramatic works, which include “The Cave Dwellers” (1957) and “My Heart in the Highlands” (1939), comprise a small fraction of his body of work, it was “The Time of Your Life” that earned him a Pulitzer Prize—an honor he turned down. He said that he did not believe in “institutional support for the arts.” It was this confrontational stand that often put him at odds with critics and the literary establishment, a character flaw that may have contributed to his decline in stature over the years. By the time of his death in 1980, Saroyan, for all his talent and bravado, had become a footnote in 20th century literature. It is only now that his work is being re-evaluated again.      

 

“Time of Your Life” is directed by Chris Graham whose previous TWS directorial credits include last season’s “Arsenic and Old Lace”. Also featured in the show are David Parker as Joe, Dawn Flood as Kitty Duvall, Bumper Metcalfe as Tom, William Wolak as Kit Carson, and Tom Kiatta as Nick.

 

“The Time of Your Life” runs June 9 – July 2.  Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 pm, and Sundays at 2 pm. Season tickets are always the best bargain, saving patrons up to 42% off the door price. To purchase tickets, call the TWS box office at (831) 375-2111 or visit westernstage.com and place your order online. This is a slice of Americana you’ll not want to miss.

 

Dan Tarker     Literary Associate