Lakeside Little Theatre opens the curtain on its 49th season with the October 4 stage premier of “Local Hero,” an adaptation of the original screenplay by Bill Forsyth scripted by director Neal Checkoway.
The play is a modern day fable about the lessons learned when Big Oil meets Wee Scotland. The story revolves around the ventures of Mac MacIntyre, a typical 1980’s hot-shot executive working for a powerful Texas oil and gas outfit. He’s a big company deal maker, whose his life is practically devoid of real human relationships. Similarly, eccentric billionaire company chief Felix Happer, appears to be the epitome of success, but he too longs to find greater meaning in his life, most recently through his efforts to make a great astronomical discovery.
When Happer sends Mac on a mission to acquire the tiny Scottish village of Ferness to make way for a refinery, the stage is set for both of their worlds to be turned upside down.Remote and quaint Ferness is inhabited by a number of eccentrics who are eager to “sell out” their home town in hopes of escaping a mundane existence. But over the course of a few days, Mac becomes captivated both by the village and by the innkeeper’s wife, prompting a yearning to change course towards the quiet, simple life he has discovered. The plot thickens when the deal stalls over the unexpected intransigence of one local. All the colorful characters come under the influence of some 42-year old Scotch whiskey and even heavenly forces to reach a happy resolution of the conflicting interests.
The show will run October 4 through 13, with curtain time for evening performances at 7:30 p.m. Two Sunday matinees will start at 3 p.m.
Under new policy for the 2013-2014 season, all LLT’s shows will open on a Friday night and, in keeping with theater tradition, the stage will go dark on Mondays. Box office hours are set for 10 a.m. to Noon daily except Sundays, beginning on the Wednesday prior to opening night. Tickets for available seats will also go on sale one hour before each performance. Single admission for stage plays will cost for 200 pesos per person, with a 50 peso increase for late February’s “Hooray for Hollywood” musical.