THEATER

Community theater returns in August with ‘Harvey’

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Live theater returns to the stage at Las Cruces Community Theatre (LCCT) with its production of “Harvey,” starring Brandon Brown as Elwood P. Dowd and Lennie Brown as Veta Louise Dowd Simmons.

The show will be performed at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Aug. 20-21, 27-28 and Sept. 3-4; and 2 p.m. Sundays, Aug. 22 and 29 and Sept. 5.

Additional cast members are David Edwards, Cindy Murrell, Ed Montes, Vanessa Dabovich, Mike Cruz, Alecks Rundell, Erin Wendorf, Alex Wheeler Larkin and Nathan Harper.

Gail Wheeler is the director.

“I think that we all learned – really learned – the incredible importance of family and need to broaden the definition of family during difficult times,” Wheeler said. “Shows are very much like families, and in our case the roles and members have changed over time, kind of like real life. We don't always agree with family – just like Elwood's family doesn’t believe in Harvey, but whether or not Harvey is real, it’s important that we respect the fight that he might be...”

"LCCT is super excited to finally be able to get ‘Harvey’ onto the stage with a live audience in the seats,” said LCCT Board of Directors President Janet Beatty-Payne. “A year and a-half after it was supposed to open, the cast has changed some, but the classic story remains as endearing as always. As we welcome our patrons back to LCCT, we are excited to unveil some upgrades to our theater space, such as a new ADA-compliant family bathroom in our front lobby and new carpeting throughout. Even though we couldn’t put on shows during the Covid-19 closure, we used that time to do these upgrades that will make coming home to LCCT more comfortable and convenient for all."

Playwright Mary Chase won a 1944 Pulitzer Prize for Harvey.” The 1950 movie version starred James Stewart and earned him an Academy Award nomination. Josephine Hull won a best-supporting actress Oscar.

Elwood P. Dowd is an affable man who claims to have an unseen (and presumably imaginary) friend, Harvey, a six-foot, three-and-one-half-inch tall pooka. Elwood introduces Harvey to everyone he meets. His social-climbing sister, Veta, increasingly finds his eccentric behavior embarrassing. She decides to have him committed to a sanitarium. Dr. Sanderson mistakenly commits Veta instead of Elwood, but when the truth comes out, the search is on for Elwood and Harvey.

Ticket prices are $17 for adults, $14 for seniors, military and students, $10 for children 12 years old and under and $10 for groups of 10 or more. Tickets are available online at lcctnm.org. Student rush tickets are available for purchase at the box office 15 minutes before showtime for $5 with a valid ID.

LCCT is located at 313 N. Main St. downtown.

Call 575-523-1200.


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