Meet the Cast of East Lynne Theater Company’s ‘Ah, Wilderness!’

Brigid Harrington and Evan Smilyk play Muriel and Richard in East Lynne Theater Company’s “Ah, Wilderness!”

For those who can’t attend opening night and the party afterward at The Merion Inn on July 26, there’s another opportunity to meet the cast of 14 in East Lynne Theater Company’s “Ah, Wilderness!” on Friday, Aug. 4 at an after-show Q&A. It’s a wonderful opportunity to ask such questions as how characters are created and what goes into selecting plays. Actors in this production have a variety of backgrounds, including performing in regional theater, film and on Broadway, and are ages 12 and up.

Taking place during the July 4th weekend in 1906 in Connecticut, “Ah, Wilderness!” offers a gentle portrait of family values and teenage growing pains. It’s Eugene O’Neill’s (1888-1953) only comedy. Among his Pulitzer Prizes, he received one posthumously for “Long Day’s Journey into Night.” The dysfunctional family in this semi-autobiographical drama is very different from the loving and fun family he created for “Ah, Wilderness!”

The cast includes those who’ve worked for ELTC: Jared Noah Aronoff, Rachel Holt, Mark Edward Lang, Mark Lazar, Rob LeMaire, Alison J. Murphy, Emma Palzere-Rae, Thomas Raniszewski and Evan Smilyk; and those new to ELTC: Connor J. Burke, Brigid Harrington, Sydney Freihofer and Jakob Pender. Gayle Stahlhuth directs and plays a small role.

“Ah, Wilderness!” runs Wednesdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes St., Cape May, from July 26 to Sept. 2.

Tickets are $32, $27 for seniors, and $17 for students and military; ages 12 and under are free. For information and reservations, call (609) 884-5898 or visit www.eastlynnetheater.org.