Guest director Kirstie Gulick Rosenfield calls Salt Lake Acting Company's new production of Amy Freed's "Freedomland" a "postmodern comedy about the American family at the turn of the century.
"I think our poster says 'the term dysfunctional would be a relief.' "
The regional premiere of "Freedomland" is April 18-May 20 in SLAC's Upstairs Theatre.
The action centers around a weekend gathering of the Underfinger family somewhere in New England.
The patriarch of the group is Noah Underfinger, a recently retired professor of comparative religion, looking forward to his leisurely "empty-nest" years with his vaguely scary new wife, Claude, a sex therapist. (Noah will be played by Bob Ormsby; Kathryn Atwood is playing Claude.)
And Noah's formerly empty nest, on this particular weekend, is rapidly filling up again.
The kids include distraught daughter Polly (Marilynn Alldredge), an unemployed Greek scholar, floundering through her 30s; her older sister, Sig (Teri Cowan), well-known painter of Norman Rockwellesque clowns; and their younger brother, Seth (Paul Kiernan), a foul-mouthed survivalist.
"He lives off the land and has a tendency to firebomb buildings," said Rosenfield.
The Underfinger clan is joined by Titus (Francis Reyes), a hapless art journalist who is interviewing Sig for an article, and Seth's pregnant, backwoods girlfriend, Lori (Gretchen Whalley).
Rosenfield insists that "Freedomland" is a comedy. "What binds the family together and forces them apart at the same time is the fact that their mother left them when Seth was 12 years old. She decided she was not cut out to be a mom and apparently took to riding the rails — we don't ever meet her. But this has somewhat distorted all of their perspectives on life."
Rosenfield also cautions that there is a tremendous amount of rough language in the play. "It's all the survivalist son's language. He just speaks in four-letter words, but it's definitely part of his character development."
PERFORMANCES of "Freedomland" include three discounted previews, at 7:30 p.m., April 18 and 19, and 8 p.m. on Friday, April 20, when tickets are priced at $17.50 and $22.50. Following its formal opening on Saturday, April 21, the production will continue through May 20 with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays, 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and both 2 and 7 p.m. on Sundays.
Regular admission is $24.50 and $26.50. Student tickets are $10 for all performances, available in advance with a valid school activity card.
All tickets may be purchased at all ArtTix outlets, including the SLAC box office (363-7522) or ticket windows at Abravanel Hall, the Capitol Theatre and Kingsbury Hall.
There will also be a free post-play discussion hosted by SLAC dramaturg Mike Dorrell on Sunday, April 22, following the matinee performance.
E-mail: ivan@desnews.com