Text Size

RPP production plays to sold-out crowds ... all four performances

15 February 2013 Marcy Shortuse

Maid Bob Fletcher ... we can't say much more than that.

BY MARCY SHORTUSE - It was an historic weekend for Royal Palm Players, as their production of Neil Simon’s “California Suite” with director Tad Ingram was sold out for all four performances.
Erica Ress Martin, the president of the Royal Palm Players Board and one of the stars of the show, said this was the first time in RPP’s history that has happened.

“It was amazing,” she said. “People were actually turned away at the door one night. We had some seats left on Sunday and had taken chairs out because we didn’t think we would be completely sold out. Before the performance started, though, we had to move a whole row of chairs back in and we were full.”

Martin said that if she had to speculate, she thinks the production’s success was due to the fact it was a Neil Simon play, and because of the cast.

“We had 17 cast members,” she explained. “If you have that many people performing, every one of them has friends. Everyone had someone they wanted to see in that play. And having that many people involved made it just that much more fun for us.”

One of the highlights of this production was a cameo appearance by island resident Bob Fletcher. It wasn’t so much that he showed up in the performance, but how he showed up that stole the show.

“We needed to get Dan (Headington, who played Marvin) and Dodie (Headington) onstage without anyone seeing them,” Martin said. “When the audience, and Dan, thought he was alone in his suite, he had to wake up with a prostitute in his bed. By dressing people up as maids and having them help change props onstage, etc., it was a way to get Dodie on stage without anyone noticing.”

Ironically, Dodie Herrington, Dan’s wife in real life, was the hooker in his bed. Martin played his wife onstage.

To read more of this story, up a Boca Beacon on newsstands today or click here to visit the Boca Beacon online, where you can subscribe to our print or e-edition. Take the Beacon anywhere with our new apps, available for Apple and Android.