Crazy schemes hit Stage Center

It's not every day you get to see one man ask another man to be his wife. Beginning Oct. 2, however, you'll get to witness this hilarious proposal as just one piece of the delightfully twisted puzzle that is Charley's Aunt, a play by Brandon Thomas.

For Stage Center Theatre's first main stage production this fall, Northeastern faculty member and professional actor and playwright Dan Wirth chose to direct Charley's Aunt because, he says, "it's one of the funniest plays ever written."

The play, written in 1892, focuses on two college buddies, Charley Wykeham and Jack Chesney, who want nothing more than a few moments with their sweethearts to profess their love. Charley's rich aunt is coming to visit, and he and Jack decide to invite their ladies over to meet said aunt, but really they just want an excuse to have the women over. They employ the help of their friend Lord Fancourt Babberly to come and entertain the aunt, but when they find out that she will not be coming for a few days, they do whatever it takes to ensure their girls will still come, even if it means making their friend Babberly dress up as Charley's Aunt. The plot and its many surprises unfold by way of witty dialogue and plenty of physical comedy over the course of the play's three acts.

The play, according to Wirth, has inspired many other plots involving men masquerading as women, including the movies Tootsie and Mrs. Doubtfire. Although it has aged 116 years, the plot is still relevant to today's audiences.

"It was a funny play in 1892 and it's still a funny play today," says Wirth.

"It's just the type of play that you come to see and you leave with a smile on your face and you don't really have to think about it, you just know that you saw a funny show," says Gale Wittenstein, a cast member and senior at NEIU.

Wittenstein and all the other cast members rehearse for Charley's Aunt every day for three hours. They began rehearsing the first week of September and will continue until the show opens.

"I don't mind it, I love it," says Wittenstein about rehearsing every day. "Honestly, if I was doing theater 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, that would be fine with me."

A cast that sees each other every day is bound to get close, and it is evident that the cast of Charley's Aunt truly enjoys each other's company by the way they joke around before rehearsal.

"The people are really amazing and you get to have a lot of camaraderie with your cast mates," says Wittenstein.

Camaraderie is an important part of a successful comedy, and the cast's chemistry, even during rehearsals, turns a funny script into a hilarious play.

Charley's Aunt, which opens Thursday, Oct. 2 at 7:30 p.m., will have a run of 9 performances from Oct. 2-4, 9-11, and 16-18. The show is free for all students with an NEIU ID. Call the box office for reservations at (773)442-4274