Drink It All In

It is the staple of the chick-flick: Three sisters come together over a meal in the aftermath of their mother’s death. In Paul Zindel’s And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little however, the Reardon sisters are pulling each other apart over that meal. Catherine is the drinking Reardon; she’s an assistant principal for the same school district in which her sister Anna formerly taught science. Anna’s career has been in jeopardy ever since she had inappropriate contact with a male student. Sister Ceil works as a district administrator, and she’s come to dinner with a plan: Convince Catherine to help her have Anna committed to an institution “for her own good.” That could be difficult, as Ceil’s husband is Catherine’s former beau – a slight not easily forgotten. Long-held resentment? Personal betrayals? Intrusive neighbors? The looming shadow of a domineering mother? This isn’t a family intervention – it’s internecine war, served with a meal. Stray Dog Theatre presents And Miss Reardon Drinks a Little at 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday (November 1 through 16) and only at 2 p.m. on Saturday, November 17, at the Tower Grove Abbey (2336 Tennessee Avenue; 314-865-1995 or www.straydogtheatre.org). Tickets are $15 to $18.
Thursdays-Saturdays. Starts: Nov. 1. Continues through Nov. 17, 2007