"Forty Carats" a sparkling gem
Friday, October 20, 2000
By ELIZABETH ARNESON
For The Daily News

"In Greece, thousands of miles away from her business, her daughter, her ex-husbands and just about everything else in her life, Ann Stanley fell in love. The 40-year-old thought it was nothing more than a fling. After all, when would she ever see the young man - 18 years younger, actually - again? Besides, she told him her name was Penelope Schwarz so he couldn't find her even if he wanted to.

But fate intervened later that year when Peter Latham walked through the front door of Ann's New York City apartment, there to pick up her daughter for a double-date.

"Forty Carats," the latest production from Hershey Area Playhouse, is a story of intergenerational love between not only Ann and Peter, but also Ann's daughter, Trina, and her older suitor, Eddy Edwards. Described by The New York Times as "a breezy, beguiling comedy," "Forty Carats" was originally produced in the 1960s. The timeless subject matter makes it feel just as relevant today.

Director Jeff Cartwright has pulled the cast together nicely. During a recent dress rehearsal, the timing was nearly perfect, and pauses here and there were the only hint that a line or two still needed some polishing.

Lebanon's Jody Lazorcik stars as Ann Stanley. Ann resists allowing the relationship to develop for as long as possible but eventually gives in to Peter's persistence and her own feelings. Lazorcik's conflicting desires to be "proper" on one hand and to allow herself to be in love on the other are well-played without being overdone.

Lazorcik recently starred as Claire in Neil Simon's "Rumors" at Lebanon Community Theater and has appeared at LCT in the productions "Star Spangled Girl," "Chapter Two," "Barefoot in the Park" and others.

As the self-assured 22-year-old Peter, Mickey Baines of Elizabethtown excels. Though his character's attitude began to wear a little thin near the show's end, Baines displays the cockiness of youth that helps make Peter so appealing to Ann.

Baines has performed for the South Carolina Shakespeare Co. in addition to appearing as Peter Patrone in "The Heidi Chronicles" at Elizabethtown College. Among his other credits are "Beyond Therapy," "Ordinary People" and "Lost in Yonkers."

When they begin to openly see each other, Ann and Peter learn that being in love with someone two decades your senior or your junior can produce a unique set of problems. While Ann brims with excitement and energy as she prepares for a night out dancing at the hottest club, her reaction afterward is quite different. Meanwhile, despite his personal confidence, Peter cannot get comfortable with the idea of Ann spending so much time with her ex-husband, Billy Boylan.

Appearing as Boylan is Lazorcik's real-life husband, Michael. Boylan is a semi-famous actor who is a bit jealous of Peter but sees no problem with Trina's relationship with Eddy. Michael Lazorcik has appeared in area productions of "Flowers for Algernon," "M*A*S*H," "Arsenic and Old Lace," "The Blue-Eyed Six" and others.

Donna Sherk of Palmyra plays Ann's mother, Maud Hayes. The character must be pushy and nosy, and Sherk plays it convincingly. She's in the dark for most of the play, working to get Trina (Central Dauphin High School student Alicia Kehn) attached to Peter, and Ann to Eddy (Bob York of Middletown).

Also appearing in "Forty Carats" are Cory Wilkerson of Palmyra as Mrs. Margolin, Ann's secretary; Angela Major of Mechanicsburg as Mrs. Adams, a client in Ann's real estate office; Jennifer Bidding of Annville and Sherman Hawkins of Hershey as Mr. and Mrs. Latham, Peter's parents; and Michael Witmer of Palmyra as Pat, a friend of Mrs. Latham."

Serving as the stage for the production is a converted indoor soccer field at the Capital Indoor Sports Training Center south of Hershey. Though it's a unique location, the crew of Hershey Area Playhouse has put together a nice set; half is the reception area of Ann's office, the other half her living room. At the beginning of the play, a small table serves as the place where Ann first meets Peter in Greece.

An enjoyable night out, "Forty Carats" supplies a light look at love between two people who could be parent and child. Deeper thoughts are left for another time, for the audience will be too busy laughing to seek philosophical discussion.