Hovey Players

Hovey Players of Waltham continues its 74th theatrical season with performances of the heartfelt comedy The Real Thing by playwright Tom Stoppard. Directed by Belmont resident Kristin Hughes, The Real Thing examines the difficulties and rewards of finding and sustaining love and commitment, as well as challenging our very notions about what is real. Performances run from November 6 to 21 at the Abbott Memorial Theater, located next to the Waltham Public Library.

A Tony Award winner for Best Play, The Real Thing tells the story of a clever, extremely intellectual playwright’s romantic relationships, making extensive use of play-within-a-play as he pursues the universal truth, or “real thing,” at the core of his experiences. The cast includes local actors Stephen Peters, Ted Batch, and Todd Radford (Cambridge), Melissa Sine (Burlington), Brooke Casanova (Dorchester), Brian Moyer (Jamaica Plain), and Tatiana Rutledge (Watertown).

“This play talks a lot about what love can bear in a sense – how far it can bend before it breaks and how much care you have to take to maintain it,” said director Kristin Hughes. “Compared to a lot of other Stoppard plays, this one focuses on something that everyone in the audience can key into, namely where the lines are in your relationships, and how you should take care with people and not take them for granted. The next message is to follow that up with actions and not just words.”

Hughes continued, “The end of the first Act of this play is where a lot of plays stop, but Act two starts after the happy ending and when the hard work is just starting. It’s closer to representing the real life of relationships. I hope the audience will emotionally connect with this piece and walk away thinking about how they feel about the situations presented and how they would cope with them.”

Hovey Players offers quality theater, affordable ticket prices, and free parking at the intimate, 52 seat Abbott Memorial Theater on 9 Spring Street in Waltham, Mass. (next to the Waltham Public Library). Performances of The Real thing will be at 8 p.m. on November 6, 7, 13, 14, 19, 20, and 21; and at 2 p.m. on November 15. Tickets are $16 for adults and $14 for seniors and students. For reservations, email reservations@hoveyplayers.com or call 781-893-9171.

Hovey Players is also proud to announce the second year of its successful Hovey Gives Back program, which allows each director the opportunity to help raise awareness for a charitable organization of his or her choice. The designated organization for The Real Thing is The MSPCA-Angell, a national and international leader in animal protection and veterinary medicine that provides direct hands-on care for thousands of animals each year.

About Hovey Players

Hovey Players has been Waltham’s community theater since 1936, featuring regional talent both onstage and behind the scenes. An inexpensive alternative to theater hosted in Boston with five full productions each year, Hovey Player’s 2009 – 2010 season includes Boeing-Boeing by Marc Camoletti, The Real Thing by Tom Stoppard, Joined at the Head by Catherine Butterfield, The Little Dog Laughed by Douglas Carter Beane, and Doubt by John Patrick Shanley.