“Chapatti” Opens at Peninsula Players

Penny Slusher and Greg Vinkler in the Peninsula Players production of Chapatti. Photos by Len Villano.

Peninsula Players Theatre opened its 81st season June 14 with the Wisconsin premiere of Chapatti by Christian O’Reilly. Unexpected sparks fly when Betty, the caregiver to 19 cats, meets Dan and his dog Chapatti in a Dublin vet office. This funny, gentle and poignant story centers around two lonely animal lovers who rediscover, very unexpectedly, the need for caring and companionship. Chapatti will be performed through July 3.

Pets such as dogs and cats provide companionship to lonely, secluded caregivers, but there is no real substitute for actual human connections. Dan, a former laborer, has trouble getting over the death of the woman he loved for 30 years. Homemaker Betty is a divorcee, neither having wandered far from home and both are getting on in years. Will romance bloom when Dan, who named his dog Chapatti after Indian flatbread, meets good-natured Betty, who collects cats to save them? Perhaps they will save each other.

The cast includes Greg Vinkler, the Peninsula Players artistic director, as Dan and making her Peninsula Players debut is Penny Slusher as Betty. Tom Mula directs the season opener. Vinkler and Slusher are recipients of After Dark Awards and all three Peninsula Player company members are recipients of Chicago Theatre’s prestigious Joseph Jefferson Awards.

Chapatti will be performed Tuesdays through Saturdays at 8 pm and Sundays at 7:30 pm, except Sunday, July 3 at 4 pm. Ticket prices range from $37 to $43 with discounts for season tickets and groups of 15 or more. For more information or to reserve tickets, call 920.868.3287 or visit peninsulaplayers.com.