‘Happy’ Comes to NJ Rep

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LONG BRANCH – Are we ever really happy? That is the question posed in HAPPY, a National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere by Robert Caisley, from May 30 – June 30 at the New Jersey Repertory Company, 179 Broadway.
Alfred is happy with his life, happy with his job, happy with his 14-year marriage to Melinda. But when his best friend Eduardo invites him to dinner to meet the new woman in his life, Eva, a sexy 22-year-old artist with a dark soul, it becomes clear that misery loves company. Truths get twisted, secrets get revealed, and what starts out as a sophisticated dinner party among friends, becomes an evening that spins wildly out of control. This is a dinner party not to be missed.
NJ Rep artistic director, SuzAnne Barabas, directs this sleek production that stars Mark Light-Orr as Eduardo, Susan Maris as Eva, Wendy Peace as Melinda, and Michael Irvin Pollard as Alfred. Playwright Caisley is associate professor of theater and film and head of the dramatic writing program at the University of Idaho. He was named the 2011 Blaine Quarnstrom Visiting Playwright at the University of Southern Mississippi.
HAPPY, presented at the 2011 National New Play Network Annual Showcase of New Plays, was a finalist for both the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center’s New Play Conference and the Woodward/ Newman Award for Drama. HAPPY began its Rolling World Pre­miere at Montana Rep, followed by performances at New Theatre 6th Street Playhouse in Santa Rosa, Calif., and is now coming to New Jersey Rep.
Tickets are $40 for adults; previews are $35; opening night with reception is $50. Performances are 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays.
Previews are 2 and 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, May 30-31; 3 p.m. Saturday, June 1 with opening night 8 p.m. Saturday, June 1. Discounts are available to seniors age 65 and older, full-time students ages 13-25, and groups of 10 or more. Extra performances can be added for groups of 40 or more.
Tickets are available by calling 732-229-3166 or visiting www.njrep.org.