PORTLAND — Mad Horse Theatre Company’s production of “The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man- in- the- Moon Marigolds,” by Paul Zindel, opens Thursday at Lucid Stage, 29 Baxter Blvd.
A Mad Horse release describes the play as follows:
Zindel’s masterpiece, which won an Obie Award, a New York Drama Critics Circle Award, and the coveted Pulitzer Prize for Drama, tells the story of single mother Beatrice Hunsdorfer, and her teenage daughters, Ruth and Matilda.
Abandoned by her husband and saddled with two children, Beatrice hates the world. She thinks she just needs the right opportunity, and everything will get better.
Older sister Ruth knows the reputation her mother has around town, but she seems sadly fated to repeat her mother’s mistakes in her own life.
Shy Matilda, or Tillie, is the joke of her school and her family, until a teacher opens her eyes to the wonders of science. When Tilllie’s project on the effect of gamma rays on man-in-the-moon marigold seeds is chosen for the school science fair, the dysfunctional family dynamic comes to a head.
Zindel’s semi-autobiographical work is loosely based on his own experience growing up in a single-parent household with a mother who constantly threatened suicide.
His portrayal of the painful side of family life, delivered with just the right amount of humor, still resonates with audiences today, especially teenagers.
Mad Horse Theatre Company member Chris Horton directs the production. The cast includes Mad Horse Theatre Company Artistic Director Christine Louise Marshall, North Yarmouth Academy senior Ruth Gray, Bonny Eagle High School sophomore Veronica Druchniak, Waynflete sophomore Nora Daly, and Maine theater community stalwart Muriel Kenderdine.
“The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man- in- the- Moon Marigolds” runs through April 1. Show times for the first two weeks are Thursdays, Fridays at Saturdays at 8 p.m., as well as at 2 p.m. Sundays.
A “Talk Back” session with the director and the actors will follow the matinee performance on March 25. A silent auction to benefit Mad Horse Theatre Company will coincide with all performances.
Show times for the third week have been adjusted to allow patrons to attend special pre-show auction receptions.
Tickets cost $22 for adults or $ 20 for students and seniors. Mad Horse also offers pay-what-you-can performances every Thursday. Call the box office at 899-3993 or order tickets online at www.lucidstage.com.
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