Family Dinner Gone Horribly Wrong––

Woman’s Club Play Serves Up (Nervous) Laughter

By Dottie Evans

Celebrating another successful year of service to the community and creativity among its members, the Newtown Woman’s Club (GFWC) Inc gathered Thursday, April 15, at the Stony Hill Inn. Fully 81 members and guests sat down to a gala luncheon, followed by a short business meeting.

The highlight for most was the featured event: a performance by club members in full costume of a one-act play by Marianne Scanlon titled Happy Holidays, Or Norman Rockwell Doesn’t Live Here.

“The actors are marvelous. You wouldn’t believe the talent in this club,” said Club President Barbara Krausz as she introduced the play.

She mentioned that it had been submitted to both district and state Woman’s Club juries and had won first place prizes at both levels.

“Now it’s being considered for the national award,” she added.

After chuckling over their copies of the play program with “Who’s Who In The Show” biographies written by Rosemary Rau, everyone settled down to finish dessert, drink coffee, and watch the performance. It would be presented in the Stony Hill Inn dining room at an empty table up front reserved just for the purpose.

As a synopsis revealed, the play’s topic would be a familiar one –– Family Dinner.

Three generations of one family would be gathered around the holiday dinner table of Edith and Harry, who are a just-past-middle-aged couple anticipating the joys of retirement.

For the first time in their lives, they find themselves empty-nesters looking forward to selling the big house so that they can travel off into the sunset in an RV. They can’t wait to be “free as the wind, ready for an adventure,” according to Harry.

“It will be the honeymoon we never had,” gushes Edith.

As they are setting the table, they discuss telling “the children” about their plans and decide to do it as soon as everyone has arrived, while they are gathered around the table.

“Thank goodness, they’re all on their own now. Even Grandma likes her retirement home,” adds Edith.

The holiday table –– and the stage –– are set for a meal to remember, and as the various family members sit down, it becomes increasingly clear that Edith’s and Harry’s retirement dream is not going to work out quite as they had hoped.

At the end of the play, while all the children, grandchildren, and the grandmother are happily chatting and enjoying the food –– each having first unburdened themselves by disclosing all manner of personal problems and unfortunate circumstances –– Edith and Harry can only look at each other hopelessly and say, “What are we to do?”

“Pass the mashed potatoes,” is the only answer to that question.

The play was produced by the Newtown Woman’s Club (GFWC) with many members participating. Costume designs were by the actors, and sound effects were by Barbara Dzitko.

Program production was by Rosemary Rau, Nancy Kennedy, Marianne Scanlon, and Patty O’Byrne. The cast included Nancy Larin as Edith, Mary Obre as Harry, Rosemary Rau as Sally, Peg Forbell as Ralphie, Nancy Kennedy as Jeff, Marilyn Alexander as Grandma, and Patty O’Byrne and Sonia Haskell as the two kids.

The play will be repeated on Saturday, May 8, at 5 pm at the Newtown Meeting House. Anyone wishing to attend is asked to make a donation of $10. A total of 200 tickets will be sold, and they may be obtained ahead of time by calling Rosemary Rau at 426-2226, or they may be purchased at the door while available.

For more information, call Newtown Woman’s Club (GWFC) Publicity Chairman Marion Thompson at 426-0253.