Arts & Entertainment
BTE Presents Mauritius by Theresa Rebeck
Mauritius is directed by Ryan Wantroba, most recently seen acting as Carlton in BTE's The North Plan.
"It's the errors that make them valuable. That's kind of my theory about people..."
Stamp collecting is far riskier than you think. When their mother dies after an expensive illness and a lifetime of bad choices, two estranged half-sisters, Jackie and Mary, discover a book of rare stamps that may include the crown jewel for collectors. Jackie wants to sell the stamps to help with their mother’s debt, while Mary wants to keep them for sentimental reasons. When a shady, high-roller collector enters the sisters’ world, what should be a simple sale becomes a dangerous, high-stakes game.
Theresa Rebeck’s Mauritius is a tightly-paced, surprising comedic thriller, a look at a seedy and rarified world of philatelic subterfuge, with a dark center of family pain. The five-way tug of war that ensues is sure to have audiences laughing and gasping throughout the two-act play.
"One wouldn't think that the subject of rare stamps would make for gripping, entertaining theater, but Theresa Rebeck's Mauritius proves otherwise…a well-made, engrossing and unpretentious play rarely encountered." - The Hollywood Reporter
"Stamps are a pretty niche topic to write a play about, but such is the brilliance of Mauritius," states director Ryan Wantroba. "Each character finds themselves consumed by emotion over 'tiny slips of paper'. Rebeck shows us how easy it is to get carried away, to convince ourselves that we know what is right, how easily we talk ourselves into believing what is too good to be true. People are immensely flawed and complicated, and it is how Mauritius captures the ambiguities of character and morality that make me love the play."
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Mauritius is directed by Ryan Wantroba, most recently seen acting as Carlton in BTE’s The North Plan and directing Hole in the Wall’s production of Our House. Heading up the cast is Kailee Ostroski as the tentative and tenacious Jackie. She is joined by Chet Ostroski as the charming conniver, Dennis. Amy Petrucci plays the prissy yet odd sister Mary. Rounding out the cast are Doug Benham as Phillip, the brusque and arrogant stamp dealer, and Michael Vernon Davis as the “international business man” and thug of a collector, Sterling.
Performances November 1st, 2nd, 8th & 9th at 8 PM and November 3rd at 2:00 PM
Hole in the Wall Theater 116 Main Street New Britain, CT
Tickets $20 Get your tickets before they sell out! *Language Advisory
