Lemon Bay Playhouse kicked off its season on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, with “Theatre People or The Angel Next Door.” If you catch just one show this year, this is the one.
This production, “Theatre People, or The Angel Next Door,” brings a whirlwind of 1940s screwball energy to the stage. Playwright Paul Slade Smith delivers an adaptation of Ferenc Molnár’s 1924 Hungarian farce, “Play at the Castle” (sometimes titled “The Play’s the Thing”). It’s a fast, funny script and bursting with charm.
Set in an elegant mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, in 1948. Oliver Adams, a painfully shy debut novelist (Leo Dominiqua nails this lovesick puppy), eagerly anticipates the impending success of his first book, “The Angel Next Door.” His muse? The dazzling Broadway star Margot Bell, played with radiant charisma by Alisha Hunter. Sparks already fly, but then add Arthur and Charlotte Sanders, a famous, constantly bickering husband-and-wife playwriting duo (Jimmie Choate and Linda Ramzell, both comedy powerhouses with impeccable timing).
The group settles in for a weekend retreat. As you’d expect with thin walls and tangled relationships, secrets leak, identities get crossed, and hilarity ensues. Toss in the quirky maid Olga (Tricia Petrinovich, wringing every laugh out of the part, think Cloris Leachman in “Young Frankenstein”) and Broadway star Victor Pratt (Tanmert Selby’s charm along with his remarkable facial dexterity adds just the right touch), and you’ve got peak farce, pure chaos, expertly controlled.
Of course, none of this works without a director who knows how to keep the comedy sharp but never frantic. Ric Goodwin absolutely delivers. Timing is everything in this genre, and the show’s rhythm nails it: snappy, but you never lose the plot. Every actor has their shining moment but working together like a finely tuned machine.
Pam Hayes’ set design, Carolyn Robinette’s costumes, and Tom Athens’ sound and lighting make you believe you’ve landed in a Newport mansion, not on Dearborn Street. For a couple of hours, you’re somewhere else; that’s the real magic of live theater.
The original production made its world premiere at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach, and since then, it’s found fans in regional theaters all over the country. There’s a reason for that: the script is smart and genuinely funny, and the show wins over critics and audiences with ease.
Lemon Bay Playhouse knows how to throw an opening night. Guests sipped wine, sampled hors d’oeuvres, and admired lobby art displays. Executive and Artistic Director Susana Falcon pulled together a true community event, partnering with local favorites Chophouse285 and Englewood Center for the Arts. The result is a night you won’t forget.
Here’s to Lemon Bay Playhouse, a fantastic start to the season, and a toast to plenty more unforgettable evenings ahead.
Dates: September 2-20, 2026
Location: Lemon Bay Playhouse, 96 W. Dearborn St, Englewood, FL 34223
Genre: Comedy
Tickets: Individual tickets are $35. Flex Passes and Season Subscriptions are available; call our Box Office today at 941.475.6756.
Tickets and additional information at LemonBayPlayhouse.com.
