Simon Play to Debut

— Fullerton College Hornet - Chip O'Neal - Friday, April 25th, 1975

MEL AND EDNA - Pam Lind [left] and Eric Hanson [right] portray Mel and Edna Hanson in the FC production of "Prisoner of Second Avenue" which opens May 1 in the Campus Theatre. The hit comedy play was written by Neil Simon

We have worked four days a week, three hours each day since February," explained Jon Bouvia, assistant director of the Fullerton College Theatre Arts department production of Neil Simon's "Prisoner of Second Avenue."

The hit comedy is the theatre arts department's major theatrical production for the spring season. The

play will have an 8 p.m. curtain on May 1, 2, 3, 8, 9 and' 10 in the Campus Theatre.

No Parallels

"Prisoner" is one of Simon's more recent plays and is now a motion picture starring Jack Lemmon and Anne Bangroft. Bouvia stated that the FC production will have no parallels with the movie and that the cast will not see the film.

He went on to say that they warn the character interpretations to be their own and he hopes the audience doesn't try to compare.the two.

George L. Stoughton of the theatre arts department will direct "Prisoner," the story of Mel Edison and his wife, Edna, who live in an expensive Manhattan apartment on Second Avenue.

Bad Times

Edison, who will be played by Eric Hanson, is a well-paid executive of a fancy New York company which suddenly hits the skids and must start thinning the payroll. Even Edison, after 22 years of service, gets fired.

Edison is also fighting a losing battle with the very environs of life - polluted air is killing everything that grows on his terrace, the walls of his apartment are so thin that the private lives of a pair of German stewardesses next door are open books to him, his apartment is burglarized and his psyciatrist dies with $23,000 of his money.

Easy Solution

Edison does the only thing left to do, have a nervous breakdown. It's on his road to recovery that the audience comesto esteem the 'prisoner' all the more, because of the couple's grit to survive.

Pam Lind plays Edison's wife, Edna, and other cast members include: Kevin Coots, Sue DiMascio, Rebecca Godinez, Colleen Malone, Sheri Murray, J.C. Lindsey, Debra Durant, Jon Bouvia and Debra Garrison.

Student director Bouvia is excited about the play and stated, "By May 1 we're going to have an excellent situation comedy on our hands. This is fairly lighter than what we have -been doing in the past."

The Campus Theatre box office is open. weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and two hours before each performance. Ticket information may also be obtained by phoning 8718000, Ext. 77, weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.