The unusual suspects

The Sun City Theater Company will be taking the stage again this summer with their upcoming performance of “’Til Beth do us Part.”

After the success of the Sun City Theatre Company’s performance of the comedy “The Hallelujah Girls” by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten, director John Scott chose another piece written by the same three authors.

From left: Jan Dennis as Beth Bailey, Diane Scott as Suzannah Hayden, Alice Haywood as Margo James, Dick Storer as Hank Russell, Karen Gienko as Celia Carmichael and Joe Beard as Gibby Hayden. (Photo illustration by Chris LaPelusa/Sun Day)

“’Til Beth do us Part” is a farce comedy that calls for a cast of six actors; two men and four women.

“It’s a pretty small cast, but behind the scenes we have about 25 people. There’s people designing and building the sets, people being stage hands, people doing lighting and sound,” said Scott. “A lot of work goes into these productions.”

The play follows the marriage of Giddy and Suzannah Hayden and the challenges Suzannah faces as she tries to hold down career in the chocolate industry.

The couple is then met with a new challenge when Suzannah hires the southern, highly sociable, and charming Beth Bailey as her new assistant.

“This is one of the hardest plays I’ve ever done,” said Diane Scott, the actress playing Suzannah Hayden. “The last scene is very tough and challenging, and everyone is so discombobulated, but it all turned out well.”

Giddy Hayden is portrayed by theater company actor Joe Beard, and Beth Bailey is played by actor Janette Dennis.

“My role is quite challenging,” said Dennis. “I’m expected to be comical and the villain…they call [Beth] the ‘southern belle from hell.’”

Dennis, who is also active on Huntley Community Radio as the director of the segment “Vintage Voices,” stated that the cast constantly meets up to run lines, work on blocking, and further the character development. As opening night quickly approaches, rehearsal meetings have gone from three days a week to almost every day.

“It’s not just physical humor; we have to work on vocal humor and out expressions,” said Dennis. “We want to really know our lines so that we can put a lot of focus on the acting.”

Opening night will be July 27 and performances will run through July 29. The show is open to the public, and ticket sales start on July 5, July 12, and July 19 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at the Fountain View Atrium.

Each ticket is $10, and payments can only be made in cash or checks. Ticket reservations can be made by calling 847-515-8454, and tickets can be picked up at will-call. Tickets will also be sold at the door before each performance.

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