Community Players of Salisbury will spread 'Rumors' and laughter

SALISBURY — For Sherri Trader Hines, the Community Players of Salisbury’s upcoming production of Neil Simon’s Rumors will not be the first time she has directed a play in which she previously has acted.

She has done so with “Oliver” among others. Fifteen years ago, she played Chris, married to Ken. His role was played by current Assistant Director, Rusty Mumford.

When asked why she chose to revive Rumors she said simply “because it is hilarious, and in these days, we all need a little humor.”

She added that she liked the challenge of putting her own stamp on a show that audience members may have seen in the past.

The script is the same, but the set and costumes will be a little different, and the cast will be very different.

There will be subtle changes in the pace of the dialogue and the actors’ movements, changes in accents and delivery of lines, and facial expressions, etc. She added that she doesn’t expect the audience to notice these things. She just expects them to laugh. A lot.

The only cast member who is a holdover from the 2009 cast is Sammy Barnes, who played Glenn previously and plays Officer Welch this time.

Sammy dedicates this performance to our late friend, Chris Bosies, who played Officer Welch in 2009.

Other cast members, when asked for individual comments, said they enjoyed working together and that the show is hilarious.

While the size of the roles varies, this is a true ensemble cast, where there are four couples invited to a dinner party in which everything goes wrong. The farcical aspects of the play are a bit different for Neil Simon. What is consistent is that the show is very, very, funny.

Performances are at Guerrieri Hall at Wor-Wic Community College.
Show times are 7 p.m. Friday, Jan. 26; 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 27; 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 2; and 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 3.

Call 410-546-0099 or go to www.sbyplayers.org for tickets.
All seats will be reserved, so it is advisable to purchase in advance.

Tickets will probably be available at the door.

We rate the show PG-13 for language.

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The cast includes Maria Demetriou, Heather Oland, Bobbie Callaway, Jacob Plummer, Steve Culver, Mike Murphy, Ted Demetriou, Devin La Femina, Sammy Barnes and Charlie Szentesi-Thomas.