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Event
The Taste Test by Frank Higgins
It's 1985 and the biggest cola company in the world is about to shock America. Among the movers and shakers are:
An aging leader who wants to prove she still rocks;
A second in command who is always the smartest person in the room;
And a woman who prides herself on always telling the truth.
The question they will all wrestle with is, "What would it take for your best friend to betray you?"
"Every once in awhile a play comes along that earns the designation of art by grabbing you by the lapels and shaking, as if to say, 'Wake up! The life you are living is breaking your heart!' " -- Norfolk Portfolio
The Cast of "The Taste Test"
Marilyn Lynch as Clair
Chioma Anyanwu as Jewel
Laura Jacobs as Mary
Directed by Warren Deckert
Production Stage Manager: Melissa Koerner-Fritzinger
Frank Higgins is the author of the plays "Black Pearl Sings" and "The Sweet By 'n' By", the latter produced with Blythe Danner and Gwyneth Paltrow. Among his other plays are "Miracles", "Gunplay", and "WMKS: Where Music Kills Sorrow". His work has been seen across the country at the Williamstown Theater Festival, the Old Globe Theatre, Ford's Theater in Washington, DC, Northlight Theatre in Chicago, San Jose Repertory Theatre, Kansas City Repertory Theater, Virginia Stage Company, the Barter Theater, and other places. His plays have been published by Dramatists Play Service, Samuel French, Dramatic Publishing Company, and Pioneer Drama Service. His one act play "The True Death of Socrates" is included in Best American Short Plays of 2013, published by Applause Books. He has also written several plays for young audiences, including "Anansi the Spider and The Middle Passage", "The Country of the Blind", and "Born Blue: The Diary of the Blue Cat". He has also published two books of poetry and two books of haiku. He teaches at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and is a member of the Dramatists Guild.
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Where were you during the Great Cola Wars of the 1980's? Frank Higgins' new play The Taste Test takes us back to 1985 as the biggest cola company in the world is about to abandon the tried & true and shock America with the introduction of a brand new product.
Clair, The C.E.O. of "King Cola" -- an aging leader who wants to prove she will always be one of the most powerful people in the world.
Mary, her Deputy C.E.O. -- a #2 who is always the smartest person in the room.
Jewel, the advertising account executive in charge of the campaign -- a woman who always "tells it like it is."
But, this is not a play about selling sugar water. In this multi-layered character study, playwright Frank Higgins intricately weaves contrasting themes of loyalty to your friends and colleagues versus self interest: honesty and trust versus hidden agendas and secrets; and perception versus reality. Ultimately, all three characters struggle with the biggest question -- "What would it take for your best friend to betray you? or vice versa?"
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LocationJust Off Broadway Theatre (View)
3051 Central in Penn Valley Park
Kansas City, MO 64108
United States
Categories
| Non-Smoking: Yes! |
| Wheelchair Accessible: Yes! |
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