November 11-December 4, 2005

Director: Laurie Freed

Silver Spring Stage presents the warm, honest and personal comedy The Cocktail Hour by A.R. Gurney. The play, directed by Laurie Freed and produced by Marcia Kolko, is slightly auto-biographical about a playwright son seeking permission to reveal his family’s past in a visit during their favorite time of day. The Cocktail Hour will run weekends November 11 to December 4, 2005.

A.R. Gurney has made an indelible mark on American theater through his witty, incisive and often moving portrait of the WASP or White Anglo-Saxon Protestant family and their below the surface turmoil. He has said about his work: “I write about WASPs. Because WASPs, maybe more than other cultures, are less resilient. I like to write about how that sense of tradition has been challenged, and how they respond or don't respond to the changing world. Because I do think one of the key issues in 20th century life is the sudden, continual and drastic changes that are occurring in all our lives. So I have a father arguing with a son…and they can't understand each other, because his values are old-fashioned and the son's are new. It seems WASP. And the terms I use maybe are WASP. The father-son issues are the same, and that's what I hope sometimes my plays could illuminate.” He continues this tradition in the clever, intimate, humorous and dramatic comedy The Cocktail Hour. The play was first produced at the by San Diego's Old Globe theatre, where it was voted the Outstanding New Play award by the San Diego Theatre Critics Circle. It was subsequently produced in New York where it won the Lucille Lortel Award as Best Off-Broadway Play.

Gurney’s other successful plays include the frequently produced Love Letters, The Dining Room, and Sylvia. The New Yorker said, "The Cocktail Hour could probably be the best play he has done so far." The New York Daily News added: "When I watch Gurney at his best, as he is here, I laugh through my tears." "It makes for a deliciously funny and also occasionally touching evening" wrote the New York Post

The time is the mid '70s, the place a city in upstate New York. John (Dan Mont), a playwright, returns to his family's house with a new play about the family. His purpose is to obtain their permission to proceed with production, but his wealthy, very proper parents Bradley (Bill Branigan) and Ann (Carol Leahy) are cautious from the outset. They prefer the gracious theater of the Lunts rather than the bluntness of modern plays. John's sister, Nina (Leta Hall), is perturbed that her character has such a minor role. The confrontation takes place during the ritual of the cocktail hour, and as the martinis flow so do the recriminations and revelations, both funny and poignant.

The production team includes Jalila Smith (Stage Manager), Mike Leahy (Set Design), Don Slater (Lighting Design), Nick Sampson (Sound Design), Ellen Mansueto (Properties/Set Dressing), and Bruce Strand and Rolf Eppinger (Master Carpenters).

Silver Spring Stage is located in the Woodmoor Shopping Center, lower level (next to the CVS) at Colesville Road and University Boulevard. Ticket prices range from $11 to $15. Performances are Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 PM and Sundays at 2:00 PM.

The Cocktail Hour is presented by special arrangement with Dramatists Play Service.

Silver Spring Stage is grateful for support from the Arts and Humanities Council of Montgomery County, Maryland State Arts Council and Combined Federal Campaign.