For Hometown News
DELAND - The Athens invites you to don your writer's cap and enter the mind of America's greatest playwright through Neil Simon's partially-autobiographical "dramedy" "Jake's Women."
The play revolves around Jake, a novelist who is more successful with fiction than with life, as he faces a marital crisis by daydreaming about the women in his life. The wildly comic and sometimes moving flashbacks played in his mind are interrupted by visitations from actual females.
Jake's women include a revered first wife who was killed years earlier in an accident; his daughter, who is recalled as a child, but is now a young woman; his boisterous and bossy sister, an opinionated analyst; his current wife who is leaving Jake for another man; and a prospective third wife.
Directed by Sands' director, Garry Norris, this ensemble cast features many alumni of the Athens stage. Dr. David Lowe (last seen as Emile in "South Pacific") plays the witty, brilliant, narcissistic, and semi-psychotic Jake, along with Alexa Baldwin (Julie, the late wife), Terri Schmidt (Karen, the sister), Sara Humbert (Sheila, the new girlfriend), Karen McDonald (Edith, the shrink), Jessica Ryan (Molly at 21, the daughter) and Amelia Ballesteros (Molly at 12) are join by one new-comer to the Athens, a graduate of the American Musical and Dramatic Academy in NYC, Kimmy Nocita.
Ten performances are planned at the historic Athens Theatre in Downtown DeLand from Jan. 25 through Feb. 10. Evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday matinees start at 2:30 p.m. Admission for each performance is $20 for Preferred Seating (row A-E), $16 adult general admission, $14 seniors, $10 students, and $12 for groups of eight or more. Thursday buy-one-get-one promotion is available for the Jan. 31 performance only. Get 2-for-1 pricing on VIP, general admission and senior tickets. Purchase online and use promo code: BOGO.
The Athens Theatre is at 124 N. Florida Ave., DeLand. Parking is free. All tickets are available online at www.AthensDeland.com, at the Elusive Grape, 133 N. Woodland Blvd. in Downtown DeLand, or by calling the Box Office at (386) 736-1500. Box Office hours are 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and one hour before live performances.