Pushed back one week because one of the principal actors had to shoot scenes for the new Joan Cusack sitcom "What About Joan," the American Theatre Company's production of Ben Bettenbender's comedy, Vick's Boy, will close April 7 in Chicago. The production was set to open March 5, but instead took its first official curtain March 12 with the same cast, as production spokesperson Jeffrey Ward told Playbill On-Line.

Naive and nerdy Lester drones through his rat-race routine of a life. But his boss, Vick, has other plans for the both of them and uses him in a blackmail ploy to get them out of their dead-end jobs. Office politics and lack of human interaction are explored and lampooned in the play that was originally produced by New York City's Rattlestick Productions.

Richard Shavzin makes his ATC directorial debut in this production. His cast includes Joe Dempsey, Andrew Micheli, Cheryl Graeff, Paul Christopher Hobbs and Joel Mehr. The design team features Roger Smart (sets), Ben White (lights), Jana Stauffer (costumes) and Lindsay Jones (sound).

For tickets to Vick's Boy at ATC, 1909 West Byron (at Lincoln), call (773) 929 1031. For prices, times and further information, visit ATC's URL at www.atcweb.org.

— by Ernio Hernandez