Phoenix Players set for debut performance May 2

A comedy with similarities to the '70s television show "All in the Family" will be presented by the Phoenix Players on the first three weekends in May.

"Never Too Late" will be performed at the Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren on May 2, 3, 8, 9 and 16. Audiences can attend dinner and the show, or the show only. Tickets are $25 for dinner and the show; $13 for the show alone.

The story's action takes place in the Lambert home in Massachusetts, where Harry Lambert, in his 50s, is stunned to learn that his wife, Edith, is pregnant.

The Lamberts already have a 24-year-old daughter, Kate, who is married and living at home with her husband, Charlie.

"Harry is obtuse and aggressive," said Leonard Gilbert, of Baldwin, who plays Harry. "He definitely wants to be in control, but things are now out of his control."

Judy Jarava, of Phoenix, portrays Edith, who is surprised, but delighted, that she's having a child.

"Edith is not the sharpest knife in the drawer," Jarava said at a recent rehearsal. "She's a sweet lady, kind of a dreamer. But she's happy."

Harry Lambert owns a lumber yard where his son-in-law, played by Rob Pallante, works. Harry and Edith's daughter, Kate, is played by Amanda Georgieff.

The play also features Regina Rose as Edith's best friend, Tom Henry as her husband, Jack Freel as a handyman, George Trocki as the mayor and Mitch Roberts as a policeman.

"I'd say this is a first-class cast. It's pretty much veteran actors," said director Don Wesley, of Phoenix.

Wesley should know -- this is the 13th consecutive show he has directed. He's familiar with the play, as he directed "Never Too Late" in 1998, when it was performed by the Sweet Air Footlighters at St. John's Lutheran Church.

The Footlighters disbanded and reorganized as the Phoenix Players, a nonprofit group that now puts on plays at churches and donates the proceeds.

"We provide storage and a place for the Phoenix Players to meet when they're not performing," said Gary Miller, a member of the Long Green Church of the Brethren and the play's producer. Miller is also in charge of designing and building the set.

"They do one show for us a year; the men of the church make the dinners, and the church gets the proceeds," he said.

"NEVER TOO LATE"

What: The Phoenix Players will present the comedy "Never Too Late" in a dinner theater format.

When: Dinner at 6:30 p.m. and the show at 8 p.m. on May 2, 8, 9 and 16. For a Sunday, May 3, matinee, the meal will be served at 2 p.m. and the play will start at 3:30 p.m.

Where: Long Green Valley Church of the Brethren, 4800 Long Green Road, Glen Arm.

Cost: Tickets are $25 for dinner and the show; $13 for the show only.

Contact: Call 410-666-2506 to reserve tickets.

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