“Harvey” is the story of a good-natured man named Elwood P. Dowd and his best friend, Harvey. Dowd describes his imaginary friend as a pooka, a shape-shifting sprite from Irish folklore, who is a six-foot-tall invisible rabbit.
When Dowd, played by Saul Bronstein, starts introducing Harvey around town, his social-climbing sister, Veta Louise, played by Joyce Milligan, becomes increasingly embarrassed by her brother’s eccentric behavior, and plans to have Dowd committed to a psychiatric facility.
Needless to say, things don’t go to plan.
In the end, the whimsical comedy is an ode to the meaning of life. It’s about the value of family, friendship, and kindness.
Mary Chase’s comedy, written toward the end of WWII, won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1944 beating Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie.”
The successful Broadway hit premiered in 1944 and ran for four years. It was adapted to film in 1950, starring Jimmy Stewart as Dowd.
The local staging is directed by Angela Anderson Knittel, who has lent her talents to several productions at Treasure Coast Theatre. Other cast members include local actors Ellis Bromberg, Bruce Cook, Christoper Damone, David Eales, Zachary Hoge, Sarah Klein, Rosemary Knight, and McKenzie Strouse. Performances run weekends June 5 – 21. Showtimes are 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays; and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Tickets are $26 with discounts available for students with identification and groups of 10 or more. To purchase by phone call (772) 418-2439 or visit TCCtheatre.com online.
Treasure Coast Theatre is located in the Town Centre shopping plaza, at 10175 South Federal Highway, Port St. Lucie.