An original play written by one of Gainesville’s own will debut at the Gainesville Community Playhouse this weekend.
Esteban Alvarez, a graduate of UF’s Levin College of Law, wrote and directed “Turning Tables,” a comedy that opens Friday and runs through June 12.
Performances will be Thursdays and Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tonight, there will be a special preview performance of the show at 8 p.m., and tickets will be $5, first come, first-served.
“The play starts out with two blackmailers checking into a hotel,” Alvarez said. “They soon realize their victims are also staying in the same hotel. They get nervous and decide to try to poison their victims. However, things go wrong and hilarity ensues.”
This run at the GCP, located at 4039 NW 16th Blvd., will be the first time “Turning Tables” will be performed with a full set, costumes and lights, he said. The show is also a milestone for GCP, as it is the first original work the playhouse has produced in more than 25 years.
Alvarez said he came up with the idea for the play from seeing “shows where people are moving a body to keep it hidden. However, I had never seen a show where people are trying to hide multiple bodies, whether dead or unconscious. So, I decided to try to write one.”
He promises laughs for the audience, with classic farce elements of mistaken identity, quick banter and highly improbable scenarios.
Tickets can be purchased in person at the GCP box office or by calling 352-376-4949. Tickets are $20 for regular admission, $16 for seniors and $12 for children and students with valid ID, according to the show’s Facebook page.
