Outcast International presents: Life Sucks.
October 10 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm
OUTCAST returns to THE OTHER SIDE with the Aaron Posner Comedy “Life Sucks”
After a 2-year hiatus, Outcast International is back to present the comedy “Life Sucks” at The Other Side in Utica, NY from October 9th through October 12th.
Written by Aaron Posner, author of the hit play “Stupid F#%*ing Bird,” which is a parody of Chekhov’s “The Seagull,” “Life Sucks” is the playwright’s hilarious and poignant take on Chekhov’s “Uncle Vanya.”
Described as his love letter to Chekhov, Posner’s “Life Sucks” pulls the most important parts of “Uncle Vanya” and spins them in uniquely modern ways, including asking the characters to interact directly with the audience. Although Chekhov’s plays can be heavy in their dealing of the universal themes of love and loss, Posner offers us hope and urges us to – in the words of one of his characters – “Move on. Move forward. Move further into life!“
Superbly funny, smart, audacious and heartbreaking, the play has been lauded by the critics, with the Chicago Sun Times writing, “’Life Sucks’ is altogether wise, profoundly humane, hilarious, quirky, endearing and, in countless clever ways, brilliantly faithful to its source . . . Posner has managed to find his own voice in the process, bringing a playful, far from cynical, fourth-wall-piercing originality to the story.” Jesse Green of The New York Times wrote, “Aaron Posner’s bitingly funny and unexpectedly touching play . . . [proves] there is no date stamp on feeling stranded between regrets and hopes, between fancy dreams and the banality of existence.”
According to Outcast producer/director Eileen Tiller-Clanton, the play actually poses the question to the audience: Does life suck? “Audiences are in for a treat, says Tiller-Clanton. “Life might suck, but we’re all in it together, and everyone will come away from this show feeling at least a little better.”
About the story: “Uncle Vanya” is named after one of literature’s great whiners, a character who not only doesn’t get what he wants but has to suffer the indignity of watching other people enjoy what they don’t deserve. In Posner’s take on the play, Vanya (Todd Allen), has been slaving away for years on his family’s estate. He lives with his niece Sonia (Lexie Carey), who’s desperately in love with Dr. Aster (Matt Grove), an idealistic doctor with a drinking problem, who’s been hanging around more than usual lately because of the bewitching presence of the Professor’s wife, Ella (Valerie Abel). The Professor (Thom Capozzella), who is also Sonia’s father, is a selfish and pompous prig who hates Vanya as much as Vanya hates him. He and Ella have come to stay for a few days, upsetting the staid routine of the household, which also includes Babs (Barbara Pratt), a friend of Sonia’s dead mother, and Pickles (Leslie Reilly), a daffy relation with the kindest heart.
“Life Sucks” will be presented at The Other Side, 2011 Genesee Street in Utica, on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, October 9, 10 and 11 at 7:30pm, with two matinee performances on Saturday and Sunday, October 11 and 12 at 2:30pm. Seating is limited; ticket buyers are encouraged to buy tickets online at the reduced price of $14 at www.eventbrite.com/e/life-sucks-tickets-1623794766859?aff=oddtdcreator. Any remaining seats will be made available at the door for $20.
Outcast International was founded in Munich, Germany in 1995 and since 2009 has presented unique plays and musicals in Central New York, some of which were presented at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland, as well as in Stuttgart, Germany. With their sights set on the 2026 Fringe in Dublin, Ireland, the Outcasts’ presentation of “Life Sucks” is part of the those fundraising efforts.