Riverside opens with Stones in His Pockets

Riverside - Riverside Theatre is proud to open its 28th season as Iowa City’s resident professional company with Stones in His Pockets. This two actor play, a celebration of theatricality, virtuosity and “let’s put on a show” pluck, is written by Marie Jones and directed by Riverside Theatre Artistic Director Jody Hovland. It opens September 5th.

A runaway London and Broadway hit and Olivier Award winner for Best Comedy, this hilarious acting tour-de-force is set in a picturesque Irish village overrun by a big-budget Hollywood film crew. Actors Tim Budd and Jim Van Valen play Charlie and Jake, two of the locally hired extras, and bring to life a cross-section of other characters from this celebrity-crazed hamlet including the self-centered American star of the movie, the quirky crew and some pretty eccentric townsfolk. But when a stone on the path to the American dream leaves one boy broken, they find themselves at a bittersweet turning point.

Riverside Theatre veteran Tim Budd and newcomer to the RT stage, Jim Van Valen, uproariously bring to life fifteen distinct characters ranging from trendy movie moguls to slouching Irish underdogs to demanding Hollywood divas. As Jack and Charlie are seduced by the same film industry that is exploiting them, the movie-like “jump cuts” from one scene to the next are evidence that there are special effects the theatre will always do better than the movies.

According to director Jody Hovland, the character transitions alone make this play a must see. “The character shifts require actors with real technical panache – no elaborate costume or prop changes, just quick and simple transformation of body and voice. Audiences are in for a real treat as Tim and Jim take us on a wild ride of Irish theatrical storytelling.”

Stones in His Pockets also features scenography by Scott Olinger, costumes by Lindsey Robinson and sound design by Steven Hunt.

For more information and to get tickets, go here.