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| Patti Suarez (in yellow) with her Love and Money cast: Shannon Clark, Jason Isaak, Judy Rollings and Jamal Peters photo by Bill Phillips |
It could be argued that love and money are the two entities that people strive most to find in this world. To be loved, to have a fortune, to have a happily ever after. But what if you already got your happily ever after and it is now time to make someone else’s dreams come true? That is what crosses Cornelia Cunningham’s mind in A.R. Gurney’s play Love and Money, which opens tonight at Theatre Artists Stuido and runs through May 19th.
“An extremely rich woman wants to give away all her money,” described Patti Suarez, the lead performing Cornelia. “There are no F-bombs, there is no nudity, there is no blood, but it is still a touching, very interesting lovely story with Cole Porter music attached to it.
This wealthy older woman is deciding to give away all her money to the people who need it, but there is a catch. A young man approaches her claiming to be a grandson she never knew she had. He arrives to claim his inheritance.
“What’s a play without conflict,” laughed Suarez. “Part of Cornelia wants it to be true, so badly. But I am not saying whether he is her grandson or not because you’ll have to come and see the play to find out.”
The Theatre Artists Studio is a theatre company formed by a group of actors in town. They propose, pitch, and pick what shows will be performed in their seasons. Love and Money made the cut, and it was proposed by Suarez.
“I did propose it but I’m not really the producer,” explained Suarez. “We have an amazing woman Carol MacLeod who is directing it. She is our artistic director for our studio and she is doing the whole thing. She is absolutely phenomenal. I’ve waited a while to work with her, she's never directed anything I've been in, it is finally my chance! Carol is just whipping us all into shape and she can do that like nobody else. It’s a thrill to work with her finally.”
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| Patti Suarez in a promo photo for TheaterWorks' Follies photo by Moran Imaging |
“When you get to be a woman of a certain age you start looking for the roles that fit you, age-wise,” said Suarez. “But some of them are just dull and boring! This role, this is a fascinating woman. The way she thinks, the way she has lived her life, she is just a fully written woman. I have often dreamt throughout my life of having so much money that I would have to sit down and figure out who to give it to. I could send kids to college, I could feed people, and do all of those wonderful things that the world needs so much. So I identify with Cornelia in that respect even though I've got nothing to give away.”
A.R. Gurney wrote many plays in his career as a playwright. Love and Money was the last story he created before he passed away. The conflicts of these characters being surrounded by the concepts of money and love detail an all too familiar picture in our world.
“I’ve often wanted to be in a Gurney. I've never had the opportunity until now,” admitted Suarez. “He writes about the wealthy and he is very critical of them, the way they live their lives, and makes fun of them. That’s fun for me to play with that kind of theme to it. I love the way he writes, he writes sparingly it is not a very long play it is all in one act. When you read a play you either identify with it immediately or just go on to the next one. I identified with it immediately with what this play says and this woman.”
Cornelia is giving away all her money from a good place. It is not because she feels guilty, or because she is trying to right any wrongs. She is donating from a place of grace, happiness, and excitement. She has the privilege to sit down and decide how to help people near the end of her life.
“I would so enjoy figuring out how to make that money go as far as it can,” smiled Suarez. “Help as many people as I possibly can, and I would enjoy it as she does. She is having the time of her life doing this. And I would do the exact same thing, I would give it all away. Money can’t do anything by itself, it is what people do with it and how people feel about it.”
Suarez is thrilled to be working with many close friends in this production along with a director she has longed to work under. The plot may sound vague but it is full of hard decisions, perspectives, and bold choices intertwined with trust. Audiences will have to see if Cornelia chooses to give the young man an inheritance he may or may not deserve.
Suarez believes this play offers some messages that audiences can take away, and hopefully apply to their daily lives.
“If we all mind our manners, if we all try as hard as we can, and if we all think about the other person always, then what a great world this would be,” Suarez stated. “There is more than one way to help people if you just still down and figure out what other people need. All is not lost. We can all pull together and help each other. I want audiences to come away with hope, that there are good people in the world and there’s a lot of good stuff left to do.”
Love and Money performs at Theatre Artists Studio April 26th-May 19th. Don’t miss an interesting story about the choices we make, the life we’ve earned, and the sacrifices we encounter.
CLICK HERE for more information on this production
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