'The Cemetery Club' opens tonight at Masquers
CHERYL SCHWEIZER | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 years, 9 months AGO
Senior Reporter Cheryl Schweizer is a journalist with more than 30 years of experience serving small communities in the Pacific Northwest. She began her post-high-school education at Treasure Valley Community College and enerned her journalism degree at Oregon State University. After working for multiple publications, she has settled down at the Columbia Basin Herald and has been a staple of the newsroom for more than a decade. Schweizer’s dedication to her communities and profession has earned her the nickname “The Baroness of Bylines.” She covers a variety of beats including health, business and various municipalities. | June 15, 2018 3:00 AM
SOAP LAKE — A play about three friends and the risks – and possible rewards – of moving on comes to the Masquers stage starting tonight. “The Cemetery Club” is scheduled for a three-weekend run.
The curtain rises at 7:30 p.m. this Friday and Saturday, as well as June 23 and 24, 29 and 30, and 2 p.m. this Sunday, and on June 24 and July 1.
Masquers Theater is located at 322 East Main Ave. “The Cemetery Club” is the finale for the 2017-18 season.
The play tells the story of three women who’ve reached a crossroads in their lives. They became friends because their husbands were friends – but that was then, and in the last four years, the three men have died.
The three friends have fallen in the habit of visiting the cemetery where the guys are buried once a month. Doris (Emma Russell in the Masquers production) is fine with the status quo; her husband was a good guy and she’s not interested in jumping into the dating pool.
But Lucille (Carrie Glencoe) is more than ready to move on – her husband chased skirts, and left decidedly mixed feelings behind him. Ida (Rosalee Chamberlain) had a good marriage and a good life, but that was over when her husband died, and maybe it’s time.
It’s at this delicate moment that Sam (Bevan Olstad) arrives, at the cemetery and in the lives of the three friends. He’s there to visit the grave of his late wife – and might end up with one of the Cemetery Clubbers in the process.
But maybe he’ll pass up the glamorous Lucille for Ida, and Lucille won’t like that. This might be the end of the line for their friendship, except they’ve all agreed to be bridesmaids for the third – or fourth or fifth – wedding of another friend.
It’s the second play for director Carol Boyce, with Jesse Huntwork as assistant director.
The company traditionally gives the audience a deal on opening night; tickets are $10 each on Friday night only. For all other performances, tickets are $14 for adults and $10 for seniors and students. Reservations are encouraged and can be made at the theater’s website, www.masquers.com.
Cheryl Schweizer can be reached via email at [email protected].
ARTICLES BY CHERYL SCHWEIZER
Road closures, roundabout, mean construction season underway
EPHRATA — The grass is starting to turn green, the trees are starting to leaf out, construction crews are starting to build roundabouts – hey, it’s spring. At least one roundabout project is in its final phase, held over from fall 2025. The intersection of State Route 282 and Nat Washington Way will be closed the week of April 6 to allow crews to install permanent lights. “This really is the final (closure),” wrote Grant County Administrator Tom Gaines in a media release. “The roundabout will close at 6 a.m. Monday, and we plan to reopen by Friday, possibly sooner if the work finishes early.”
Ybarra announces run for Washington Senate
QUINCY — State Representative Alex Ybarra, R-Quincy, has announced his candidacy for the Washington Senate. If he’s elected, he would replace Judy Warnick, R-Moses Lake, who announced her retirement in March.
Othello Community Museum to open April 25
OTHELLO — With a couple of new exhibits, a new heating-cooling system, rearranged displays and a thorough cleaning, the Othello Community Museum will open for the summer April 25. The goal, said Molly Popchock, museum board secretary, is to operate for a full season.