December 26, 2024
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Engle Lane in Streator to present ‘A Fox on the Fairway’

Ken Ludwig play is a tribute to English farces

By Shaw Local News Network
Engle Lane’s “The Fox on the Fairway,” debuts Sept. 3 and then runs Sept. 5 through Sept. 9, in the Streator theater.

Engle Lane’s “The Fox on the Fairway,” debuts Sept. 3 and then runs Sept. 5 through Sept. 9, in the Streator theater. (Photo provided by Jennifer Kirkman)

What does the Trojan War have to do with golf? Well, nothing really, but don’t tell that to Louise Heindbedder.

Heindbedder is just one of many characters in Engle Lane’s “The Fox on the Fairway,” debuting Sept. 3 and then running Sept. 5 to 9 in the Streator theater.

This Ken Ludwig play is a tribute to the English farces of the 1930s and 1940s. It takes audiences on a ride recalling Marx Brothers classics before pulling the rug out from beneath the denizens of a private country club. The story is filled with mistaken identities, slamming doors and over-the-top romantic shenanigans.

Set amid the leafy greens of Quail Valley Country Club, “A Fox on the Fairway” unfolds on the day Quail Valley faces its oldest rival, nearby Crouching Squirrel Golf and Racquet Club, for their annual interclub golf tournament. Battle lines are drawn when the two clubs, not unlike Greece and Troy of old, assemble their bravest heroes and play on to the final madcap putt on an 18th hole that is the stuff of legend.

What will happen to pompous Dickie Bell (played by Jim Woodward) when he tries to pull a fast one on Henry Bingham (played by Larry Kelsey)? Why does Pamela Peabody (played by Kathy Missel) need oysters to help secure a win? Why is Justin Hicks (played by Luke Dougherty) jumping on the couch and doing pushups? What is all this fuss about a vase owned by Muriel Bingham (played Jennifer Kirkman)? Why is Louise (played by Devon Ford) still crying?

The only way to find out is to buy a ticket and see. Audiences should know the show has a PG-13 rating for adult situations and language.

Shows are scheduled at 2 p.m. Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 4 through 8, and 2 p.m. Sept. 9.

Want to go?

Tickets are $20 for adults and $10 for children 12 and younger, available online at https://englelane.org or through the box office. The box office is open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Saturday. For information, call 815-672-3584. The theater is located at 1012 Columbus Road, Streator.

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