KANSAS CITY, KAN. ----- The Theatre Department at Kansas City Kansas Community College is preparing to present its spring production, “The Boys Next Door.”
An Off-Broadway success, this very funny, yet touching play focuses on the lives of four mentally-disabled men who live in a communal residence under the watchful eye of a sincere, but increasingly despairing, social worker. Filled with humor, the play is also marked by the compassion and understanding with which it peers into the half-lit world of its handicapped protagonists.
“I like this play because of the subject matter, the characters and the quality of the writing,” said Charles Leader, theatre professor at KCKCC. “I saw it when I was in college and fell in love with it then.”
The cast includes: Jameson Donaghy, Arnold Wiggins; Chris Donte’ Benson, Lucien P. Smith; Thomas Crowder, Norman Bulanski; Michael Koon, Barry Klemper; Charles Humphrey, Jack; Ethel Rodriguez, Sheila; Christopher Miller, Mr. Klemper; Joy Peterson, Mrs. Fremus, Mrs. Warren and Clara and Kenan Meadows, Mr. Hedges, Mr. Corbin and Senator Clarke.
Directed by Charles Leader, “The Boys Next Door is at 7:30 p.m. March 6, 7 and 8 in the KCKCC Performing Arts Center, 7250 State Ave.. There is also a matinee performance at 2:30 p.m. March 9. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. The play is free to all KCKCC students, staff and faculty members with a valid ID.
“It was produced all over the place in the 90s. I felt that its time had come again and that we had the acting talents here to do it justice,” Leader said. “I think people will enjoy it for its good natured humor and the sensitive, bittersweet way it looks at the lives of four mentally handicapped men as they try to negotiate the rigors of everyday life.”
For more information on “The Boys Next Door” or to reserve tickets, call 913-288-7106.
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CUTLINE: Caption: Standing (left to right) - Michael Koon, Thomas Crowder, Chris Donte' Benson, Chris Miller. Sitting on couch arms (left) Charles Humphrey (right) Jameson Donaghy
Sitting (left to right) - Ethel Rodriquez, Kenan Meadows, Joy Peterson.
