Pintello Comedy Theater pros Jayson Stebbins and Denee Lewis Bohnsack get together to bring in playwright Jack Neary’s gentle and funny “First Night,” an amusing bit of witty theater. The two carry the production under the deft direction of Whitney Pintello.
A down in the dumps Danny Fleming spends New Year’s Eve at his job in a movie rental store. He has accepted his unexciting lot in life and does not foresee anything different in the future. In bounces Meredith O’Conner, his secret crush from eighth grade 20 years ago. Meredith is now Sister Meredith Louise. She tests her dedication to the cloister with a direct play for Danny, but he isn’t quite ready for the interruption in his dull life.
Stebbins and Bohnsack deliver entertaining spars on the whys and why-nots of the situation, with Meredith O’Connor deciding not to take no for an answer.
“First Night” offers a relaxing respite from our busy lives, and as usual, producers Rod and Marion Pintello make everyone feel like the family has gathered to welcome a new relative. Lights and sound are spot on and the set is authentic and detailed.
The Pintello Comedy Theatre is a family affair with family members participating in almost every aspect of the four productions presented every year. The theater is located in the Grange Hall in Gilroy. With easy parking and within shouting distance of Morgan Hill, Pintello’s productions make for an entertaining evening.
“First Night” will be presented at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays through April 18 and 2 p.m. April 12. Pintello Comedy Theater is at the Gilroy Grange Hall, 8191 Swanston Lane, Gilroy. For tickets and information call (408) 337-1599.
Camille Bounds is the theater arts columnist for the Morgan Hill Times and the Gilroy Dispatch.
