THE BOYS NEXT DOOR
Fairfield Footlighters
Feb. 17-26
Fairfield Community Arts Center
Directed by Kevin Noll
Cast: Kevin Roach as Arnold Wiggins, Jamie Ball as Norman Bulanski, Malcolm Casey as Lucien P. Smith, John Lawson as Barry Klemper, Nick Bellmyer as Jack, Rachel Smith as Sheila, Bob Tyson as Mr. Klemper, David Brabbs as Mr. Hedges/Mr. Corbin/Sen Clarke & Jackie Marshall as Mrs. Fremus/Mrs. Warren/Clara
At a communal residence in a New England city, four mentally-handicapped men live under the supervision of an earnest, but increasingly “burned out,” young social worker named Jack. Norman, who works in a doughnut shop and is unable to resist the lure of the sweet pastries, takes great pride in the huge bundle of keys that dangles from his waist. Lucien has the mind of a five-year-old, but imagines that he is able to read and comprehend the weighty books he lugs about. Arnold, the ringleader of the group, is a hyperactive, compulsive chatterer who suffers from deep-seated insecurities and a persecution complex. Barry, a brilliant schizophrenic who is devastated by the unfeeling rejection of his brutal father, fantasizes that he is a golf pro. Mingled with scenes from the daily lives of these four, where “little things” sometimes become momentous (and often very funny), are moments of great poignancy when we are reminded that the handicapped, like the rest of us, want only to love and laugh and find some meaning and purpose in life.
- Fri-Sat, Feb. 17-18 at 8pm
- Sun, Feb. 19 at 2pm
- Fri-Sat, Feb. 24-25 at 8pm
- Sun, Feb. 26 at 2pm