Middletown High School South presents its fall comedy, The Marriage of Bette and Boo, December 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th.  The play’s director, South’s Theatre Arts teacher Alexis Kozak, calls the play “a dark comedy about mental illness, alcoholics, and dead babies.”  The play centers around Matt, a young man born into a family of alcoholic men and mentally unstable women.  He struggles to piece together a life out of the chaotic hand of cards he was dealt.  “The play boils down to this young man’s attempt to keep swimming, to keep his head above water in the insanity around him, and to survive,” says Kozak.  “Original reviews called the play ‘sketch comedy meets a dream play,’ Saturday Night Live does The Glass Menagerie, and that’s a fairly accurate description.”

“It’s not a play that a lot of high schools do,” laughs Kozak.  “Our students who are going to study college in theatre should have the experience of doing absurd comedy, as well as your typical Neil Simon plays.  I’m grateful that our administration consistently allows us to stage sophisticated material.”

In one of South’s most ambitious sets to date, the crew is assembling a twenty-four foot wide, three tier high wedding cake, upon which the cast performs the play.  “We won the Basie award for Outstanding Set Design last year, so, sure, there’s a little pressure that comes along with that,” says Stage Manager Kristen West.  Lighting the play is student Lighting Designer Cory Golusinski, who was nominated for Outstanding Lighting Design for last year’s The Rimers of Eldritch.  “It’s an honor to have been nominated, especially when so many of the people nominated were adults,” says Golusinski.  “I am trying to bring in more color to blend together the crazy comedy and the tragedy in the show.”  The production features Kelly Lozo—winner of last year’s Basie for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama—as Bette and CJ Marsini—two-time Basie Award nominee for Best Actor—as her son, Matt.  “It’s such a wild play,” says Lozo, “alternating between hilarious and tragic, usually more on the hilarious side.”

The Marriage of Bette and Boo runs December 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th at 7:00pm at Middletown High School South.  Tickets are $5 for students and seniors and $10 for adults and can be purchased at the door.