Aurora’s Riverfront Playhouse presents ‘It’s Only a Play’

The Riverfront Playhouse in Aurora presents the laugh-out-loud comedy, “It’s Only a Play” by Terrence McNally.

The show runs until June 14, with performances Friday and Saturday nights at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees June 1 and 8 at 4 p.m. There is no performance June 6.

According to a news release, the play follows the afterparty of a Broadway opening at a lavish Manhattan townhouse where a group of insiders have staked themselves out to await the reviews. The group includes the wealthy producer, excitable playwright, the possibly unstable wunderkind director, the pill-popping leading lady and the playwright’s best friend, who passed up this production for a television series.

Directed by Mike Frale, the cast includes Mace Jendruczek as James Wicker, Josh Maywin as Peter Austin, Jami Johnson as Julia Budder, Nina Iraci-McMahon as Virginia Noyes, Jeff Pripusich as Frank Finger, G.F. Gallagher as Ira Drew and George Tawil as Gus P. Head.

The set was designed by Gary Puckett and Candy Campbell, with lighting and sound design by Izzy Pike.

“I think the best way to understand this play is to quote the playwright, Terrence McNally – ‘Theater is survival. It’s the way we tell each other we’re still here, still human, still capable of empathy and laughter and change,’" Frale said in the news release. “This quote reflects the spirit of ‘It’s Only a Play’ — a comedy that’s as much about the insecurities and absurdities of show business as it is about the resilience of those who keep coming back to it. This show is hilarious, packed with zingers, sharp-wit and over-the-top theatrical humor.”

The Riverfront Playhouse is located at 11-13 Water Street Mall in downtown Aurora.

Tickets are available at riverfrontplayhouse.com.