Made popular by the Academy Award winning 1975 film, “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” features Randle McMurphy (Justin Brewer), an anti-authoritarian criminal, is transferred to a mental institution for evaluation. Although he does not show any overt signs of mental illness, he hopes to avoid hard labor and serve the rest of his sentence in a more relaxed hospital environment. McMurphy's ward is run by steely, unyielding Nurse Ratched (Shannon Bowen), who employs subtle humiliation, unpleasant medical treatments and a mind-numbing daily routine to suppress the patients. While establishing himself as the leader, McMurphy constantly antagonizes Nurse Ratched and upsets the routines of the ward, leading to constant power struggles between the inmate and the nurse. These crashes continually escalate and consequences soon follow. Fellow patients include: Billy Bibbit (Connor Kelly), a nervous, stuttering young man; Charlie Cheswick (Gabriel Francisco), a man disposed to childish fits of temper; Martini (Emilio Pido), who is delusional; Dale Harding (Michael Schacherbauer), a high-strung, well-educated paranoid; Scanlon ( David Hopwood), who is explosive and destructive; Ruckley (Kris Vitos), who is profane; and "Chief" Bromden (Brett Robertson), a Native American of imposing stature who is believed to be deaf and mute.
Diane and Liz Cooke make their Riverwalk Theatre directorial debut, and Greg Pratt, Ethan Noga, Dale Wayne Williams, Monica Holland, Jon Hall, Anna Szabo and Taylor McPhail round out this talented cast.
Dates: February 11-14 and 18-21, 2016. Times: Thursdays at 7 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. Ticket Prices: Bargain Thursdays $10 and $8 for seniors, students and military. ($15 regular price, $12 for seniors, students and military). Location: Riverwalk Theatre, 228 Museum Drive, Lansing, MI 48933.
For additional information on Riverwalk Theatre productions and ticket information, please call 482-5700 or visit the website at www.riverwalktheatre.com.
