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Wednesday, April 10, 2013

A Night with the Family @ Pygmalion Theatre Company (SLC: April 8)

Pygmalion Theatre Company presents a new comedy "A Night with the Family" by Matthew Ivan Bennett

Salt Lake City, Utah - April 8, 2013: Pygmalion Productions presents "A Night with the Family" by Matthew Ivan Bennett, April 25 - May 11, 2013 at the Rose Wagner Theatre.

Holiday time is family time, but is that good or bad? Set in Salt Lake City, Matthew Ivan Bennett´s new comedy "A Night with the Family" pays homage to the self-obsessions of modern life. Coddled newlywed Donny is in the midst of yet another relationship crisis, Dad´s seeking answers in New Age approaches, cougar Mom wants her new boyfriend to be part of the family, and Sis finds that converting to Mormonism hasn´t made her marriage any better. Through the hysterics, one might wonder, are we laughing at the extremity of this family´s dysfunction, or at its familiarity?

Playwright Bennett recalls, "A pivotal experience for me as a teenager was seeing James Sherman´s BEAU JEST at Hale Center Theatre...It´s a family comedy about a Jewish woman who hires an actor to play her Jewish fiancée. It was the first time, I think, that I sat in the audience and actually thought about the emotional justification behind some ridiculous situation: a woman wants to be accepted by her family. Realizing this, I saw that comedy is ultimately just a point of view. It isn´t about laughing or crying-characters in comedies cry all the time. Comedy is about having a perspective on life that lets you relax instead of tense up."

"A Night with the Family" is directed by Lane Richins and Laurie Mecham, with Jay Perry, Teresa Sanderson, Andrew Maizner, Elise Groves, and Jesse Peery. The show runs April 25 through May 11.

Watch the video preview at http://vimeo.com/63546272

All shows at the Rose Wagner Center for the Arts - 158 W. Broadway. Tickets are available through ArtTix 801-355-ARTS www.arttix.org. Pygmalion Theatre Company produces plays that reflect concerns, issues and experiences shared by women, with three shows each season: Fall, Winter and Spring.

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