'Annapurna' on stage at the Playhouse for 6 performances

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

The Youngstown Playhouse will present “Annapurna” for six weekend performances, beginning Friday.

The play is the first in the annual Griffith-Adler Actor Series, which offers edgy or adult fare in the intimate Moyer Room.

“Annapurna” takes place in one room.

As the play unfolds, the audience learns that 20 years ago, Emma walked out on her husband, cowboy-poet Ulysses, in the middle of the night. Now, hearing that he’s in dire straits, she tracks him down in the wilds of Colorado to a filthy trailer, where he’s hooked to an oxygen tank and cooking sausage in the buff.

Their reunion, charged by rage and compassion, brings back the worst and best of their former bond, and provides a meditation on love and loss.

The two-person play features local actors John Cox as Ulysses and Brandy Johanntges as Emma. It is directed by Nick Mulichak. Stage manager is Jeanine Rees, Johnny Pecano constructed the set, and Ellen Licitra designed the lighting.

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and again on Oct. 5 and 6; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday and Oct. 7.

Tickets are $15 ($12 for senior citizens and students); call 330-788-8739 or go to theyoungstownplayhouse.com for reservations.

“Annapurna” made its Off-Broadway premiere in 2014, starring real-life couple Megan Mullally (“Will & Grace”) and Nick Offerman (“Parks and Recreation”).