Arts & Leisure
Acclaimed local author brings latest play to The Players Ring
By Jennifer L. Saunders
Next week, Kimball's latest play, "Best Enemies," will open at The Players' Ring in nearby Portsmouth, N.H.
Opening night is Friday, Oct. 6, and the production will continue for three weeks.
How would Kimball describe his play?
"A sunbaked desert island. Two men. One hat."
Yes, it's a play about cowboys. No, it's nothing like "Brokeback Mountain."
This one's a comedy where the two main characters, Rex and Cody, struggle with issues of isolation, prejudice, violence, war, religion and more.
It's a comedy, but fans of Kimball's plays are well aware that there's always more than meets the eye to his productions. There is always a twist - whether they've seen his "Santa Come Home," which had its debut right here in York, or his most recent play, "Ghosts of Ocean House," which premiered at The Players' Ring with a setting not unlike the Victorian homes of York's bygone days.
His latest play, Kimball explained, "is a comedy about two cowboys marooned on a tiny desert island where, to preserve their sanity, they've invented their own geography and their own laws. Eventually they go to war over their shared cowboy hat. As they rob one another of food and sleep, and their tiny universe begins mutating, each man faces his death and, in so doing, must also face his life."
"Best Enemies" is being directed by Wells resident and York High School staff member Lisa Stathoplos, with a cast that includes Chris Savage, Michael Crockett, Amanda Painter and Eric Bakke.
Performances are Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and Sunday evenings at 7 p.m. at The Players' Ring on Marcy Street in Portsmouth. Tickets are $12, $10 for students and seniors for general admission; $10 or $8 for students and seniors for Players' Ring members. Reservations are highly recommended as shows frequently sell out at this intimate, 65-seat theater.
For information or reservations, call (603) 436-8123.
