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Left to right: George Martinat as Chicklet,
Daniel Kairoff as Star Cat,
Drew Collins as Provoloney and Robert Norman as Kanaka |
Take one surfer-girl wannabe turned
split-personality dominatrix, mix in a host of whacky seaside
characters, and you've got anything but a typical day at the beach
with Frankie and Annette. Instead, you've got a certified "Psycho
Beach Party."
TheatreUNCA will stage this campy spoof of 1960s surfer films and
Hitchcock-style horror flicks October 1-5 at UNC Asheville's Carol
Belk Theatre. Curtain is
8 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday with a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee. All shows
are open to the public. "Psycho Beach Party," which contains mature
themes, is recommended for adult audiences.
"Psycho Beach Party," the off-Broadway hit by Charles Busch, is set
in 1962 Malibu Beach. Florence "Chicklet" Forrest, the play's
central Gidget-like character, desperately wants to be a part of the
popular surfer crowd. One thing getting in the way is her tendency
toward blacking out and taking on split personalities, including a
check-out girl, an elderly radio talk show hostess, a male model and
a sexually voracious vixen.
"Psycho Beach Party" is directed by Scott Walters, UNC Asheville
associate professor of drama. Drama Department faculty designers
include Jillian Summers on set, Ida on costumes, and Rob Bowen on
lighting and sound. In keeping with Busch's gender-bending casting
of Chicklet in the original production, UNC Asheville junior George
Martinat will play the female lead. Other student cast members
include Drew Collins, Sarah Erickson, Kathlyn Johnson, Daniel
Kairoff, Dudley Merrifield, Cecelia McKay, Caitlin Moseley, Robert
Norman, Leah Shapiro and Dustin Williams.
Tickets for all performances are $10 general admission, $8 for
senior citizens and $5 for students. Because of the intimate size of
UNC Asheville’s Carol Belk Theatre and the often heavy demand for
tickets, advance purchase is strongly advised. Tickets may be
ordered by phone by calling 828/232-2291 between 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
weekdays. Tickets are also available at the box office one hour
before curtain and online at
www.unca.edu/drama.
For more information, call UNC Asheville’s Drama Department at
828/251-6610.
