Opening November 30th and running weekends through December 22nd, An Other Theater Company presents Topher Payne’s 2014 comedy Perfect Arrangement, continuing their trend of providing an alternative theatrical voice to Utah County.
Set just as “sexual deviants” were added to the list of threats during the height of the Red Scare to be searched out and fired from Government jobs, Bob Martindale and Norma Baxter are tasked with finding these people and dismissing them. The only problem is that Bob and Norma are both gay and have married each other’s partners as an elaborate disguise to keep their secret.
On the play, director Kacey Spadafora says, “I’ve never laughed so hard while reading a script. On its surface the play is a hilarious comedy born out of this unique dynamic of deception and misdirection, but the show explores a dark part of american history that is often overlooked, and erased. Before working on this show and specifically learning more about this facet of the time period, I never would have known that people were fired during McCarthyism for being ‘sexual deviants’ as well as for being communists, and at such a high ratio. For every two ousted for suspected communism, there was another fired for suspected ‘deviant behavior.’ The playwright has taken this macro issue and zoomed in on one subset of people affected by it and creates this charming, funny, and poignant world that I just can’t get enough of.”
Those interested in some festive cheer can arrive early for a short holiday-themed pre-show at 7:20
The play runs Fridays and Saturdays November 30th through December 22nd at 7:30pm (with one 5:00pm performance December 16th) in the An Other Theater Company blackbox theater in the Provo Towne Centre. Tickets are $14 online ($12 for Students and Seniors) and $17 at the door ($15 for Students and Seniors)
About An Other Theater Company:
An Other Theater Company seeks to provide a voice to many who are overlooked in the mainstream local theatre scene, including stipulations in its season selection process to highlight works by and about women and the LGBT community.