Elwood Dowd, the kind-hearted, eccentric protagonist of the play, “Harvey,” enjoys talking to strangers, although, he says, they don’t stay strangers for long.
“Soon, the faces of all the other people, they turn toward mine and they smile,” says Elwood. “And they’re saying, ‘We don’t know your name, mister, but you’re a very nice fella.’”
The Theatre Company of Sun City will present “Harvey,” a play that won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1945, boasted over 1,700 performances on Broadway in its first run, and went on to capture the hearts of moviegoers when Jimmy Stewart portrayed Elwood in the 1950 movie adaptation.
Performances are on July 13, 14, and 15. All performances begin at 7 p.m. in Drendel Ballroom, 12860 Del Webb Blvd., Huntley.
Dick Storer, who is cast as Elwood in the Sun City production, says he identifies with his character. “He’s a lot like me — or I’m a lot like him,” he says. “He’s soft spoken and I’m kind of soft spoken. He’s a little bit tall, and I’m a little bit taller. I’m an introverted guy, unless I have a script in front of me telling me to act differently.”
The problem is Elwood’s best friend, Harvey: an invisible white pooka rabbit who seems to go everywhere with Elwood, much to the chagrin of his sister, Veta, played by Janet Graf. She wants to introduce her daughter, Myrtle Mae (Judy Scherer) to elite social circles, and she fears Elwood’s talk of a giant rabbit to every stranger he meets will hurt their chances of being taken seriously. Veta decides to have Elwood committed to a sanitarium to avoid being publicly embarrassed. Unfortunately for Veta, Drs. Chumley (Frank Gaghan) and Sanderson (Bob Geiss) end up committing her instead.
Director Kevin Fenner says that, to him, the play boils down to a story about friendship and civility.
“People are afraid to talk to strangers in this day and age, but this is Elwood’s deal. He enjoys that,” says Fenner. “I really think everybody has — -somewhere buried in their personality —- an Elwood, who likes talking to people and would enjoy having more friends.”
Storer says the play is a warm, feel-good story with a healthy dose of humor. Fenner adds that each character is very endearing in their own way. “They’re very determined about what their beliefs are,” he says.
Besides the 12 cast members on stage, scores more people work behind the scenes to build and paint sets, make costumes, and sell tickets.
“I’m anxious for the audience to see what I think is going to be a very good show,” says Storer.
“After the show,” says Fenner, “maybe some people will be inspired to let out their inner Elwood and make new friends.”
