Tea At Five September 14, 2011

OAK BROOK, IL-First Folio Theatre, at Mayslake Peabody Estate, 31st St. & Rt. 83, presents the hit one-woman show TEA AT FIVE written by Matthew Lombardo. This gracefully funny and heartwarming tale stars Melissa Carlsonas legendary actress Katharine Hepburn. Based on Hepburn’s book Me: Stories of My Life, TEA AT FIVE runs September 14 through October 16 with press opening Saturday, September, 17.

An uncontested icon of live theater and cinematic art, Katharine Hepburn transformed herself from the key actress of a generation into thespian royalty. TEA AT FIVE is set in 1938, when the 31-year-old Hepburn is five years beyond her first Oscar-winning performance. After being branded “box office poison,” she anxiously awaits to hear if she will play Scarlett O’Hara inthe upcoming David O. Selznick screen production ofGone with the Wind.
Progressing though time, the story moves to 1983, when Hepburn’s melodic voice is shaky as she clutches at her cane for support after the ravages of Parkinson’s disease. Yet the same grace, style and poise is still evident in her every elegant word and coy smile. Join Hepburn as she beckons us into her Connecticut home for a cozy chat and an intimate look at the Hollywood legend and the woman based behind the legend.

TEA AT FIVE is directed byAlison C. Vesely, SDC, andstars Melissa Carlson, who also starred in Much Ado About Nothing and Antigone at First Folio Theatre.

All performances take place on the grounds of the Mayslake Peabody Estate, which is owned and operated by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Indoor shows are presented in Mayslake hall, a 30-room Tudor Revival style mansion originally built by coal baron Francis S. Peabody. Completed in 1922, the mansion is on the National Registry of Historic Places. Located at 31st St. and Rt. 83 in Oak Brook, First Folio is easy to get to from either the East-West Tollway (I-88) or the Stevenson Expressway (I-55). Free parking is available on the grounds.

TEA AT FIVE runs September 14 through October 16 Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sunday Matinees at 3 p.m. Tickets range $20-37 for adults and $22 for Students and Seniors (previews). Season subscriptions and individual tickets may be purchased by calling the box office at 630.986.8067 or online at www.firstfolio.org.

Official Website: http://www.firstfolio.org/plays/tea_at_five.html