Garrettsville – Garrettsville’s Curtains Up Theatre production of “John Lennon and Me” is, well, awesome! Based on Cherie Bennett’s popular book, Good-bye, Best Friend, this uproarious play about life, death, power and first boyfriends was adapted by the author for the stage. This group of performers will have you laughing, crying, and feeling their emotional journey as they struggle to figure out and embrace life.
The story is about Hollywood-wannabe teenager, Star (Spencer Clark) the ultimate Beatles fan, who has cystic fibrosis, a disease that assures a young death. Star has spent most of her life in hospitals and has just been admitted because of a flair up of her disease to Heart House, a residence for youth battling chronic and/or terminal illness.
Because of her disease, Star’s lonely world is limited to other patients and the hospital staff. She spends her time confronting fate with imagination. Some of her fellow patients have become MTV-inspired flunkies and she morphs her dreaded therapy nurse into a pro-wrestler pseudo attack shark whose appearance is announced with the Jaws Theme. But on this admission, Star gets a new roommate, perky cheerleader, Courtney (Casey Clark) who is Star’s complete opposite…or is she? Neither girl knows much about the other’s world, but eventually they come to understand each other, and ultimately, themselves.
Producer-Director Jackie Rinearson stated that “this is one of the hardest productions emotionally, I feel our theatre has ever done. During rehearsals our actors have cried, laughed and became angry, at times, all in one night. As a director and producer, I strive to find productions, which will bring out emotions from within the actors. I feel ‘John Lennon and Me’ does this and much, much more.”
The cast includes: Spencer Clark, Casey Clark, Alaina Wiseman, Paige Stiles, John Lorinchack, Drew Tushar, Lucinda Stiles, Stephanie Ewell, Christian Spaur, Alanna Hunter-Crump, SadieMae Ewell, CJ Dyer, and Seth Rinearson.
Don’t miss seeing this great cast, with some awe-inspired performances in this touching story, serenaded by music of John Lennon and the Beatles too! Final performances will be this Friday and Saturday, January 22 & 23, at the James A. Garfield, Iva Walker Auditorium. Tickets are $10 at the door, Children under 12 and seniors over 65, $7
