Presented by the Sage Theatre Company, the production is directed by Martin Ewens.
"Set in a dilapidated Atlantic City casino — called The Prancing Horse — that specializes in catering to nostalgic groups of baby boomers, the play weaves together the lives of three disparate characters whose dreams have been thrown off course by their self-destructive behaviors," according to production notes. "Jimmy, a New York surgeon with a gambling problem is drawn to a young showgirl, Charlotte, who is running away from her past. Sensing Charlotte is in some kind of trouble, he asks Becky, her somewhat older friend and the hotel hooker, to be their liaison. Protective at first, Becky quickly realizes that Jimmy's interest in Charlotte is well intentioned. She finds herself trusting him enough to reveal her dream of opening up her own business by saving enough money from her seedy encounters with abusive men. Charlotte too soon finds herself opening up to Jimmy about the past that she's ashamed of, including her thwarted career as a ballerina and a boy named Ed whom she still loves. The possibility that each one of the three can act as catalyst to change one another's lives for the better comes into play as they share their stories in the casino bar in front of an amiable bartender with a few problems of his own."
The cast of The Prancing Horse includes Pierre O'Farrell, Romy Nordlinger, Sheila Griffin, Chris Ford and Tod Engle.
Playwright Richard Lay's plays have been produced by the Sage Theatre Company (Going to Bordeaux, Cold Knees at Dawn, God's Policemen, Sparky's Last Dance, The Oboe Player and Lunch at Armageddon). Once a gossip columnist and arts reporter for the London Daily Mail, he came to New York as the paper's foreign correspondent while also reporting for the London Sunday Mirror, the China Morning Post and two Dublin-based papers. He then became a feature writer for various Hearst publications. Together with a group of students from the Actors Playhouse, Lay founded the Sage Theatre Company in 1989 to encourage emerging playwrights and new actors.
The Prancing Horse plays at the Abingdon Theatre's June Havoc Theatre/Main Stage, 312 W. 36th Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues through Oct. 1. Thursday through Saturday performances are at 8 PM. Sunday matinees are at 3 PM.
Tickets are $18. For reservations contact Smarttix.com or call (212) 868-4444.
