At first blush, the profanity-loving playwright David Mamet and the sweetly sentimental Mitch Albom don’t seem to have much in common, but Stuart Purdy, director of the Country Playhouse’s newest black box production, sees a connection. That’s why he chose to put Mamet’s A Life in the Theatre, about two actors talking shop backstage, together with Albom’s Tuesdays with Morrie, about a man who spends his Tuesdays with a former teacher who’s been stricken with ALS, for a night of one-acts. Purdy notes, “They both have two male characters, one older and one younger. They’re both driven by dialogue.” Even more important, “They both have a similar message.” The plays are about youth and naiveté versus maturity and wisdom. “They have young men who are starting their careers, and they have the good fortune to meet an older man to teach them about love, life and death.” 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through June 26; 2 p.m. June 20; and 7:30 p.m. June 24. Country Playhouse, 12802 Queensbury Lane. For information, call 713-467-4497 or visit www.countryplayhouse.org. $20.
Fridays, Saturdays. Starts: June 11. Continues through June 26, 2010
This article appears in Jun 10-16, 2010.