If you’re looking for a few laughs, you might want to check out Seckman High School Theatre Troupe’s upcoming production of the musical comedy, “Lucky Stiff.”
Performances will be at 7 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday, Nov. 30-Dec. 2, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Dec. 3, at Rickman Auditorium, 747 Jeffco Blvd., in Arnold.
Admission is $10 for adults and $5 for students.
The play was written in 1988 and centers around an English shoe salesman, Harry Witherspoon, who finds out he will inherit $6 million if he takes his uncle’s corpse to Monte Carlo and completes a number of tasks with the body.
If the tasks are not completed, the money will go to the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn, his uncle’s favorite charity. Harry also finds out that his uncle’s former lover is trying to get the money.
Senior Tim Brice, 18, of Imperial, who plays Harry Witherspoon, said the plot is similar to the 1989 movie “Weekend at Bernie’s.”
“I think it is really cool,” he said. “It is very original.”
Chris Owens, Seckman High’s theatre director and speech and debate coach, said he has wanted to direct a performance of “Lucky Stiff” since he first saw it 15 years ago.
“I thought it was a clever, fun show with really good music,” he said. “The plot is perfect for high schoolers to engage in some over-the-top and fun characters. It is a murder mystery with a plot twist at the end, and there is farcical comedy in there.”
Senior Madison Row, 17, of south St. Louis County plays the role of Annabel Glick of the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn, who follows Harry Witherspoon throughout Monte Carlo to make sure he completes the tasks to inherit his uncle’s money.
Row said she had never heard of “Lucky Stiff.”
“I had to research it,” she said. “I listened to the soundtrack and watched a few clips of it on YouTube. I think it is a good show. I am excited. It is not a typical show that we have done in the past. It is fun to do something new.”
Brice and Owens said one of their favorite songs in the play is “Welcome Back, Mr. Witherspoon,” a nightmare flashback scene in the second act.
Owens said the number involves nearly the entire cast.
“It is a lot of fun for the characters to do,” he said. “It is a different tone than the rest of the show.”
Senior Jacob Lane, 18, of the Arnold area plays Luigi Gaudi, who is connected to Rita La Porta, Tony Hendon’s former lover, and plays a major role in the production’s twist ending.
Lane said it is fun to be part of a production that few people have seen.
“It is a great opportunity to have more creative freedom with our performances because for a lot of people it will be their first exposure to the material,” he said.
Junior Ash Ross will portray Tony Hendon’s body, and junior Elle Salender plays Rita LaPorta. Sophomore Noah Brownlow plays Vincent DiRuzzio, and senior Ella Hester will play the part of Dominique DuMonaco.
Other cast members include senior Kelvin Nichols, junior Burke Sebastian, sophomores Carter Looney, Ava Shores, Ace Throne and Maddie Procter and freshman Maya Hardy.
“It is full of great music, and there is non-stop laughter with a murder mystery that may surprise people,” Owens said. “It is a talented group of people who are putting on a remarkable performance.”
Tickets may be purchased at seckmantheatre.ludus.com or at the door.