Theater company has a new home, and their current production,
‘The Supporting Cast,’ offers a personal touch on a humorous
story
After nearly two years with no space to call their own, the actors and owners of Pintello Comedy Theater are performing their first show in their new home in the Gilroy Grange Hall. The new digs signify a fresh page for the community-based theater company as well as a return to the type of show set-up they enjoy most: an intimate atmosphere where the audience is able to interact with the actors.
Pintello Comedy Theater, owned by Rod and Marion Pintello, occupied a shared space on the north end of Church Street in Gilroy during 2003-04. Problems arose when the landlord started double-booking the space, Rod said, and scheduling rehearsals and performances became difficult.
The company was doing well enough that Rod and Marion decided they wanted to try to find their own commercial space around Gilroy or Morgan Hill, but that, too, proved trying.
“There was a lot of empty space, but everyone wanted full price for it and a lot of it was pretty expensive,” Rod said. Adding to the task was that the company was required to be housed in a space zoned for public gatherings, such as a church auditorium.
The lack of a permanent home, however, didn’t mean the Pintellos were content to sit back and put the shows on hold. They did a few productions out of private locations such as Eagle Ridge in Gilroy, and they rehearsed in the Pintello’s living room and garage.
At one performance at the Morgan Hill Grange Hall, an audience member asked Rod and Marion why they had never performed at the Gilroy Grange Hall. The Pintellos said they didn’t know the building existed, and after checking it out and making some contacts, they moved their company into the new location Aug. 1. The stage is about 4 feet high, and tables are set up so each party sits with the members of their own party – and that’s it. So, if a couple attends the show, they sit at their own table, and if a party of four comes attends the show, they sit at their own table. Each chair-and-table setup is tailored to each performance, making the show-going experience more intimate and personal, Rod said.
The current production, “The Supporting Cast,” opened Sept. 22, and it runs Fridays and Saturdays through Oct. 21. It marks the Pintello’s 13th show since they launched their company in 2003.
Directed by Marion, “The Supporting Cast” is about a woman named Ellen who is the wife of a successful author. She writes a book called “The Supporting Cast,” and in it she describes in detail the characters – including a movie star’s wife, a playwright’s husband, a celebrity conductor’s mother and a politician’s wife.
In reality, the characters in Ellen’s book – thinly disguised – are her best friends in real life. She invites them, all from New York, to her home in Malibu Beach to break the news that they are depicted in the book – imperfections and all. The friends’ reactions range from shocked to angry to disappointed – all with a humorous twist.
The show is clever and smartly written, Rod said, and one of the most humorous angles is the way the differences between Californians and New Yorkers are portrayed.
“This is a different type of comedy than a lot of what we’ve done in the past,” Rod said. “I liked the fact that it was taking place in California. You really get a sense of the culture clash between sophisticated New York and the laid-back West Coast.”
Another draw of the show is that the audience gets more of an idea of who the characters are at their core, said Stephanie Pintello, who plays Florrie, one of Ellen’s friends from New York.
“(‘The Supporting Cast’) is different in the sense that there are some touching moments in the show, where in the past we’ve done comedies where you’re laughing so hard you might miss the next funny line – it’s nonstop humor,” said Stephanie, who is Rod and Marion’s daughter-in-law. “This one has touching moments, and you really get a sense of who the character is and what they’re going through. … But then we turn around and make you laugh, and that’s always a bonus.”
Additionally, Stephanie said, having a permanent space to perform in makes doing the show that much sweeter.
“It feels really great to have a place we know we’re going to be for a while,” she said.
The next production the theater company is set to work on is called “You Can’t Get There From Here,” a comedy that takes place in a Southern town and includes seven actors. The four main leads have already been cast, Rod said.
