The production kicks off its run on Thursday at the West Springfield theater.
Buzz Roddy and Liliane Klein are pictured in a scene from "Skin Deep," which runs February 21 - March 30 at West Springfield's Majestic Theater. Tickets to the romantic comedy are $19 - $28 and are available by calling the box office at (413) 747-7797.
Piggybacking on the idiom that “beauty is only skin deep,” author Jon Lonoff’s play, “Skin Deep,” which opens today at the Majestic Theater in West Springfield, tackles an America obsessed with dating, physical size, and beauty, whether natural or enhanced by plastic surgery.
“Skin Deep” follows the large, loveable and lonely-hearted Maureen Mulligan, who has been set up for a blind date by her sister, Sheila ,and husband, Squire, with clumsy and blunt Joe Spinelli. She relies on a sharp wit and wisecracks to cover her feelings, and her blind date can’t seem to contain his awkward eagerness as the two become acquainted. Sheila and her husband are having problems of their own as she undergoes a non-stop series of cosmetic surgeries to hang onto the attractive and much-desired Squire.
“It is such a heartwarming play that you just want to cheer at the end. When I read the script, I sort of smiled all the way through and had a few good belly laughs,” said the Majestic’s producing director, Danny Eaton, who is directing the play.
Eaton said “Skin Deep” came recommended to him from “a couple of subscribers who had seen the production at Lake George about a year or so ago. Coincidentally, I had already seen something about the play in a catalog or online that caught my eye, and it sounded interesting enough for me to order the script.”
The play stars Liliane Klein as Maureen and Buzz Roddy as Joe.
“Although very contemporary and set in Queens, the play is reminiscent of the golden age of feel good theater,” Klein said. “What makes the play so great is that the couple you are rooting for is not the normal ingénue couple. Maureen is not so confident in herself and is very concerned about her weight as a plus-sized woman, who at the same time is beautiful both inside and out. She finally discovers that beauty over the course of the play through family and friends and this guy who is every bit the match for her.” she added about the two soul mates.
Klein, who resides in Cambridge, said she can relate to the characters in the play because she, too, is a plus-sized woman who also just happens to have a sister who is different physically from her.
“In the play I attempt to draw on my relationship with my sister, although she is nothing like Sheila in the play. And, I’ve known heartbreak and have gone through many frogs to get to my prince,” said Klein, who is also a singer and model who has performed in over 40 states and some 10 countries.
The Majestic production also features Cate Damon in the role of Sheila and Kevin Maroney as Squire. Set design is by Greg Trochlil, with costumes designed by Beth Smolin and lighting by Dan Rist . Rachel Putnam is production stage manager and Alma Negro is stage manager.