“They seemed mean-spirited, deceptive, clueless and just plain sad.”

This is how Downers Grove resident Joe Messina first thought of the characters in “How the Other Half Loves,” the play he is currently directing for Grove Players.
“How in the world was I to get anyone to laugh at these people?,” he said.

Having audiences laugh at the three couples around whom the play is centered was, apparently, playwright Alan Ayckbourn’s goal. His work is labeled a farce. Has Messina succeeded in directing a play that will tickle an audience’s funny bone? He believes so, and audiences can find out for themselves when the play opens Friday, Feb. 8.

“Here was a show that, at first glance, was peopled with three couples that, it appeared, didn’t have a single likable or redeemable bone in their collective bodies,” Messina said. “Thankfully, the process of getting the show up and running proved the old adage that first impressions can indeed be deceiving.”

The three couples are the Fosters, the Phillipses and the Featherstones. According to Grove Players Vice President Deb Krueger of Lombard, one morning after Bob Phillips (played by Michael Pemberton of Downers Grove) has been out late, his wife Teresa (played by Amy Hendricks of Chicago) is suspicious. Fiona Foster (played by Carol Townsend of Carol Stream) also was out late and forgot her wedding anniversary. This naturally upsets her husband, Frank (played by Bob Plowman of Westmont).

“Bob and Fiona were actually together,” Krueger said. “And to keep the affair a secret, they drag in an unknowing and socially inept third couple, William and Mary Featherstone (played by George McArdle of Schaumburg and Susan O’Byrne of Downers Grove), as their unwitting alibis.”

And the fun begins.

“In its off-beat way, the play is not at all the jaundiced, disparaging look at relationships that I initially thought,” Messina said. “Rather it turns out to be a sly and affectionate look at the thousand daily kindnesses and cruelties that make up every marriage.”
This is Messina’s first time directing for Grove Players. When he and his family moved to Downers Grove two years ago, he looked for a way to contribute to the community. That opportunity came with Grove Players.

“You have to have a large amount of respect for a group that has provided a great cultural resource for its community for almost 75 years,” Messina said.

His experience includes producing and directing more than 40 plays and musicals, including many Chicago, American and world premieres, he said. Messina also was the managing director of the JPAC Theatre and was the co-founder and artistic director of the Cenacle Theatre Company in Chicago.

No doubt his extensive and impressive experience played a part in his reassessment of the characters in “How the Other Half Loves.” They are “eccentric, lovable and, yes, flawed folk who nonetheless really do love one another, warts and all,” he said.

Krueger serves as assistant director, and Katie Libby of Westmont produced the production. It runs for two weekends, Feb. 8 through Feb. 10 and Feb. 15 through Feb. 17. Friday and Saturday night performances begin at 8 p.m.; Sunday matinees are at 2 p.m. All performances will be held at Lincoln Center, 935 Maple Ave. in Downers Grove.

Tickets are $14 for adults, $11 for seniors and $8 for students. They can be purchased in advance at Consider It Done, 5133 Main St. in Downers Grove, or at the door.
To make reservations, visit www.groveplayers.org or call (630) 415-3682.