The Department of Music and Theatre Arts at Monmouth University has announced a production of Albert Innaurato’s play Gemini. The production runs March 4 -March 8 and March 11-12 with all shows at 8 PM except for the Sunday, March 8 matinee at 3 PM.
Presented in Lauren K. Woods Theatre, the seven-show run is directed by Dr. Jack Burke, and assistant directed by Katherine Fernandez. The play takes place in the backyard of adjoining houses in South Philadelphia: one house occupied by Fran Geminiani, a laborer, and his son, Francis, a Harvard student; the other by a boisterous, earthy divorcee named Bunny and her fat, asthmatic son, Herschel. It is the eve of Francis’ twenty-first birthday, and suddenly he is paid a surprise visit by two friends from college, a brother and sister named Hastings, who set up a tent in the backyard. The friends, Randy and Judith, are wealthy, attractive and from an elevated social background that contrasts painfully with Francis’ own humble circumstances. The plot proceeds in a series of lively, funny, touching and revealing incidents that occur in fast-moving, antic succession until the final, joyous moments of the play.
Playwrights Horizons first staged Gemini in December 1976 with a cast that included Jonathan Hadary, Jon Polito, and Sigourney Weaver. The following March it was mounted by the Circle Repertory Company and critical response encouraged the producers to transfer the play to Broadway. The Broadway production, directed by Peter Mark Schifter and supervised by Marshall W. Mason, opened on May 21, 1977 at the Little Theatre and closed on September 6, 1981 after 1,819 performances.
This production of Gemini stars Monmouth University students Joe Morano as Fran Geminiani, Anthony DeFilippo as Francis, Samantha Ventola & Dominique Lengyel as Lucille, Emily Woods as Bunny Weinberger, Nick Sewell as Herschel, Riley Anderson as Randy and London Jones as Judith.
Gemini is a production of the Department of Music & Theatre Arts at Monmouth University, and is sponsored by the University’s Center for the Arts. Tickets are available for $20/adults; $15/seniors; $10/non-MU students and free for students. For more information on this event, or to purchase tickets, please call the University Box Office at 732-263-6889 or visit www.monmouth.edu/mca.
