From left are, first row: Leba Lanton and Becky Costello; second row: Jessi Teevan, Debbie Demming, Lorrie Loughney and Harry Powell.
Submitted Photo
SCRANTON — Gladys Garner, who is retired and widowed, has a beach house in Atlantic City, where her two single friends Francine Peters and Lorraine Costello meet with their imaginary boyfriends. That’s the setting of an original play by Barbara Pease Weber called “Doc Franklin Escapes Cambridge.” It will be performed by Diva Productions at the Old Brick Theater at 11 a.m. and 7:30 p.m. April 4, 5, 10, and 2 p.m. April 6 and 13.
The two visitors of the aforementioned character played by Lorrie Loughney are kind of like the characters of The Golden Girls. Frannie, played by Debbie Demming, is similar to the ditzy Rose Nylund from the 80s sitcom. Lorraine Costello, played by Leba Lanton, is more like the dramatic Blanche Devereaux.
“She’s very open to what she does or wants to do in her personal life,” Lanton said.
The three women meet and fall in love with Dr. Otis Franklin, an MIT professor. Hilarity ensues when they stop at a beach house for dinner.
The title character is played by the only male in the cast, Harry Powell.
“Doc Franklin has a secret,” said the play’s director, Brink Powell, who is Harry’s daughter. “What I think is fun about the structure of the play is that the audience figures out the secret way before the characters in the show figure it out.”
Harry and Leba were both teachers of Brink when she attended Lackawanna Trail High School.
Another character is Dr. Miriam Shields (played by Jessi Teevan), who wants to confront Doc Franklin for not taking her to the symposium.
“She’s pretty wiled up and pretty angry,” Brink said about her father.
The three women showcase rivalry as well as friendship.
“When Diva (Diva Productions) chose to include this in the season, what our artistic director Paige (Balitski) really liked about it is that it’s a group of more mature women,” said Brink. “It’s a different age group.”
