The Nebraska Repertory Theatre production of Paul Slade Smith’s “Unnecessary Farce” opens at 7:30 p.m. July 23 in the Temple Building’s Howell Theatre.
“Unnecessary Farce” is one of five shows featured in the Nebraska Repertory Theatre’s 47th season. The schedule, which includes two one-night only Destinations performances, runs through Aug. 10.
The three main shows are the Christopher Durang comedy “Vanya and Sonia and Mash and Spike,” Annie Baker’s “Circle Mirror Transformation” and Paul Slade Smith’s “Unnecessary Farce. The one-night only performances are Jon Robin Baitz’s staged reading of “Other Desert Cities” on July 29 and the premiere performance of SloDance, Lincoln’s newest modern dance company, in “P(l)aying Due(t)s on Aug. 5.
“Unnecessary Farce,” winner of nine regional theatre awards, is set in two identical rooms of a cheap hotel — a sting room rigged with a camera feeding video to a second room for the police. The comedy mixes two recent police academy graduates, a mayor with a lot of explaining to do, an attractive accountant convinced the mayor is “cooking” the city’s books and several Mafia types who will stop at nothing to avoid detection.
Other “Unnecessary Farce” show times are 7:30 p.m. July 24, 26, Aug. 2, 6 and 7; 2 p.m. Aug. 10.
Season passes, which allow for unlimited attendance to all three of the main shows and free admission to the Destinations performances, are available for $60 general admission; $55 faculty, staff, senior citizens and active military; and $35 students and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute members. Individual tickets to the three main shows are available at $25, $22 and $12, while tickets to the Destinations series are $7 each.
The season passes and individual tickets are available at the Lied Center for Performing Arts box office weekdays and in the Temple Building lobby one-hour prior to a performance. Tickets can also be purchased online at http://unl.edu/rep or by calling (402) 472-4747.
The Nebraska Repertory Theatre is the professional theatre within UNL’s Johnny Carson School of Theatre and Film. The Rep employs actors, directors and designers from across the country.
