“SUFFER THE LONG NIGHT”

HILARIOUS NEW FARCE FROM THE CREATORS OF “MEET THE PARENTS”; OPENS AT THE META THEATRE ON AUGUST 8
 
WHAT: “Suffer The Long Night.” A World Premiere comedy.
WHO: Written by Greg Glienna and Mary Ruth Clarke. Directed and produced by Greg Glienna.
WHERE: Meta Theatre, 7801 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046. This is one block east of Fairfax Ave., at Ogden Dr.
WHEN: August 8- September 14, 2008. Fridays through Sundays at 8 p.m.
ADMISSION: $20.
RESERVATIONS AND INFORMATION: (323) 960-7745.
ONLINE TICKETING: www.Plays411.com/suffer
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           A  community theater company, the Merrillville Merry Art Players, has scheduled a melodrama, “Suffer The Long Night,” to kick off its new season. Unfortunately, opening night is in the middle of flu season, and 19 of the 23 original cast members come down with the flu. The show must go on, however, so the remaining players soldier on with the aid of few replacements. What else could possibly go wrong now? In a word, everything: out-of-sync light cues and gunshots, missing props, missing dialogue, matches that won’t light, falling lights, a mustache that won’t stay on, a traumatic injury to the face, using pointed fingers as guns when a pistol is suddenly misplaced. The list goes on and on.
           Our play within a play?: “Suffer The Long Night” involves two escaped criminals, Chops and Louie,  who take a family hostage on Christmas eve while the thugs hunt for buried jewels. Will the innocent Burling family survive? More importantly, will the American Theatre survive?
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           “Suffer The Long Night’ is written by Greg Glienna (who also directs) and Mary Ruth Clarke. Back in 1992, they wrote and starred in a low-budget comedy called “Meet The Parents,’ which Greg also directed. It was discovered by Steven Soderbergh, who remade it as a big studio movie with big stars, including Ben Stiller and Robert DeNiro.
           So Greg and Mary Ruth have been living the dream: They’ve seen their little film spawn a franchise (“Meet The Parents,” “Meet The Fockers,” the upcoming “Meet The Baby”) worth hundreds of millions of dollars. Greg has written other features (“Relative Strangers,” “Desperation Boulevard,” “A Guy Thing,” “Dreamgirl”). Greg anf Mary Ruth have gone from being Chicago independent filmmakers to Hollywood players. So what do they do next? : Write a play for a 99-Seat Plan theatre, of course.
           Greg is also an actor, singer, songwriter and comedian. He attended Columbia College in Chicago.
           Mary Ruth received an MFA from Emerson College. A partial list of her other plays includes The Revenge Cycle, “How Are We On Time?,” “Zap! An Unauthorized History of the Microwave Oven,” and “The Backache.”
           The cast of “Suffer The Long Night” includes (in alphabetical order) Brandon Alexander, R.S. Bailey, Kipleigh Brown, Greg Glienna, Pam Levin, Stephanie Manglaras, Jeffrey Markle, Mandi Smith, Peter Stass and Jon Van Middlesworth.
           “Suffer The Long Night.” You won’t suffer, unless your sides ache from laughing too hard.