Surgery causes date changes for “A Catered Affair”

By: Mandi West

The musical “A Catered Affair,” presented by the USU Department of Theatre, was scheduled to open Tuesday night at the Caine Lyric Theatre but changed due to a medical emergency involving one of the cast members.

Kenneth Risch, the head of the theatre department, explained that the decision to postpone the dates is an inconvenience to attendees but that the main concern is the actors.

“Whenever a situation like this develops, there is always a chance that we might lose audience, but the well-being of the actor concerned has to come first,” Risch said. “Changes in casting would only happen if it looked as though the original cast member would not be able to perform for some time. That was not the case in this situation.”

Ciera Cox, a student in the arts symposium class at Utah State University, received an email on Monday from her instructor saying that one of the leading roles in the musical had to get their appendix out so the dates would be postponed.

“I’ve been in a few musicals and it’s always hard when one member gets hurt because then the whole cast hurts,” Cox said. “But I’m glad to hear that the actor will be fine and ready to work hard to help the show go on.”

Risch said that they worked with the Caine College of the Arts Production Services to get the news out to the public as soon as Monday. People who had already purchased tickets would be allowed to exchange for one of the new show dates at the Caine College of the Arts Box Office.  However, they are not offering refunds.

The show will go on and Risch explained that there are many reasons for one to attend. He said that “A Catered Affair” has a prestigious pedigree that includes some of the most significant writers from 1950s film and television and the contemporary musical theatre: Paddy Chayefsky, Gore Vidal, Harvey Fierstein, and John Bucchino.

“A Catered Affair is a beautiful story of how members of one family adjust to some major challenges that unexpectedly present themselves,” Risch said. “It’s a story about having the courage to face and accept change rather than hide from it.”

New performance dates and times include 7:30 p.m. showings for Nov. 1, 2, 4 and 5 with a 2:00 p.m. showing on Saturday and a 3:00 p.m. showing on Sunday. All performances are at the Caine Lyric Theatre located on 28 West Center Street.