“Cali VanZandt, Mike Kelly, Victor Angelo, and Ernest Toutant. in Heaven Help Me" at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre -- July 9 through 19.
Thursday, July 9, through Sunday, July 19
Richmond Hill Barn Theatre, 600 Robinson Drive, Geneseo IL
With its author Joe Simonelli praised by the Asbury Park Press as a playwright who "really knows his characters" and "writes in a way which really gets to people," the ethereal comedy Heaven Help Me enjoys a July 9 through 19 run at Geneseo's Richmond Hill Barn Theatre, Bloomberg Radio's Joe Franklin adding to the praise by calling the show "a touching comedy/fantasy that displays both wit and charm."
In Heaven Help Me, the three surviving Holloway brothers are facing a dilemma. Their string of casual eateries are losing money, and in order to save the family business, oldest brother Sam wants to sell the only remaining joint property: a valuable waterfront house in Rockaway Beach, New York. The problem is, the Holloways' youngest, "black sheep" brother Rollie has his own plans for the proceeds -- namely, to pay off the loan sharks he owes money to. Middle brother and business accountant Kevin, meanwhile, has an overbearing wife who also wants her share. Their deceased brother Fred's widow Martha, who also has a quarter share, needs the money due to a pending divorce. And if all that weren't bad enough, the late Fred is haunting the house, and doesn't want anyone else living there.
Directing Heaven Help Me's Geneseo run, and also serving as light/sound designer and operator, is Barn Theatre veteran Dana Skiles, whose previous productions for the venue have included Misery, Here Lies Jeremy Troy, and My Son is Crazy, but Promising. Additional members of the creative team include: set builders Jim and Mike Skiles; crew person Elliana Moore; and stage manager John Phillips.
A sextet of Barn Theatre veterans, meanwhile, compose the Heaven Help Me ensemble: Victor Angelo (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest); Mike Kelly (Unnecessary Farce); Mallory Park (Busybody); David Shaffer (Ken Ludwig's A Fox on the Fairway); Ernest Toutant (The Robin Hood Caper); and Cali VanZandt (The Tell-Tale Farce).
Heaven Help Me runs at Geneseo's Richmond Hill Barn Theatre July 9 through 19, with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Admission is $12, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)944-2244 and visiting RHPlayers.com.
