Players present political satire about McCarthy-era communism

Players
present political satire about McCarthy-era communism

BY LINDSEY FIELDER

Rice News staff

The Rice Players
will open the spring semester with the political satire
“Red Scare on Sunset” by Charles Busch Feb. 13-14
and 19-21. Each performance will be at 8 p.m. in Hamman
Hall.

Mark Ramont will
direct this play about Hollywood during the McCarthy era
from one of the wittiest writers in American Theater. Described
as cinematic and historically intricate and accurate, “Red
Scare on Sunset” is full of references to various films,
personalities and stars of the 1951 Hollywood in which it
takes place.

The play deals
with the emergence of the search for and persecution of
anyone who had any connection, real or supposed, with the
Communist Party. Of course, this led to the blacklisting
of many Hollywood writers, actors and directors. Those who
did not confirm or deny their participation were unable
to get work and had to go underground.

Hanszen College
junior Claire Scheid said anything that was different or
slightly leftist was in danger of being dubbed ‘communist.’
“With society being so frightened and so susceptible
to judgment, it was easy to be marginalized — if not
pushed out of the picture altogether — or pushed into
jail, simply for being different,” she said.

In the play,
Mary Dale, an all-American movie star with a heart as big
as the Hollywood Bowl, is shocked to learn that her husband,
fading leading man Frank Taggart, is having an affair with
Marta Towers, a brooding actress with suspicious ties to
Russia and an affinity for Chekhov. Her right-wing red-baiting
best friend, funny lady Pat Pilford, convinces her to follow
Frank to his method acting class. Mary finds herself in
the middle of a communist conspiracy involving undercover
agents from both sides, blackmail, murder and secret identities.
It takes all the courage she has, but she decides to fight
the party — and save Hollywood.

General admission
for “Red Scare on Sunset” is $10; Rice faculty,
staff and alumni can purchase tickets for $8, and students
can buy them for $5. Tickets can be ordered at the door,
over the phone and online at <www.ruf.rice.edu/~players/reserve.html>.

For more information,
call 713-348-PLAY.