Better Late

Northlight Theatre continues its record-setting 33rd season, celebrating Artistic Director BJ Jones' 10th Anniversary, with the world premiere commission of Better Late, by Larry Gelbart and Craig Wright.  The production, featuring Chicago favorites John Mahoney and Mike Nussbaum, and directed by BJ Jones, runs March 28-May 11, 2008, at Northlight Theatre, 9501 Skokie Blvd in Skokie. 

This world premiere production, commissioned by Northlight, reunites playwright Craig Wright (Grace, Lady) with actors Mike Nussbaum and Steve Key, both of whom appeared in Northlight’s production of Grace, and welcomes actors John Mahoney and Linda Kimbrough and playwright Larry Gelbart (Emmy and Tony Award-winning author of M.A.S.H. and City of Angels). 

As Better Late opens, Julian (Nussbaum) is forced to move in with his ex-wife and her new husband in order to recuperate from a sudden illness.  With each passing day, the awkward situation spirals further and further out of control.  As the laughter builds, the question becomes: how long will Julian have to stay?  This bitingly funny December-December-December romance is a not-to-be-missed new comedy.

"Last December here at Northlight, over 300 people enjoyed the first public reading of Better Late," comments Artistic Director BJ Jones.  "It was such an entertaining and comically bittersweet evening, and the reading itself was only half the fun.  When we reached the discussion portion of the event, these gifted writers offered personal stories and shared their vision of the play.  Their inspirations are as comic and touching as the play they crafted together." 

Jones continues, "Throughout its evolution, the play's themes have continued to emerge, along with the humor that its story-line provides.  Better Late in many ways is a fable of forgiveness: most of us never work up the courage to seize the moments in which amends can be offered and accepted, and the infraction healed.  Gelbart and Wright—two writers at each end of the age spectrum—have blended their perspectives, artfully revealing the rashness of youthful choices and the challenges of living with the consequences."

Tickets for Better Late, range in price from $35- $55 and are available by phone, 847-673-6300, or online at www.northlight.org.  The Box Office is located at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Boulevard, in Skokie.