AND MISS REARDON DRINKS A LITTLE

And Miss Reardon Drinks A Little is an often biting and occasionally touching black comedy of the late 60s that centers on the lives of the three Reardon sisters, whose father abandoned the family long ago, and whose mother has recently passed away. The sisters, now adults and all working in the New York City public school system, have come to a crossroads - the youngest sister, having barely survived a scandalous incident at school, has suffered a nervous breakdown. When the married sister comes back to the childhood apartment the two unmarried sisters now share in an effort to commit her sibling to an institution, the built-up resentments of the last decade are pushed to the forefront. Should Anna be committed? Is it in her best interest or is it just easier for Ceil if she doesn’t have to care for her? Is it selfish of Catherine to want to keep her at home? Who is strongest in this fight of wills – and does Catherine really need another cocktail?

Produced by Retro Productions

The cast features Wynne Anders (Off-Broadway Claymont/Emerging Artists Theatre), Christopher Borg (Charles Busch's Judith of Bethulia/Theatre for the New City), Heather E. Cunningham (NYIT Award for Best Actress in An Appeal To The Woman Of The House/Retro), Rebecca Holt (Broadway How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying with Matthew Broderick and Megan Mullally), Amanda Jones (Off-Broadway Candida/Jean Cocteau Repertory), Sean J. Moran (Widows directed by Hal Brooks at 59E59), and Sara Thigpen (NYIT Award for Best Actress in Burning the old Man Jo/Boomerang Theatre).

It is the mission of Retro Productions to present works of retro theatre. Retro is defined as "involving, relating to, or reminiscent of things past (American Heritage Dictionary)." At Retro Productions we will strive to tell good theatrical stories which have an historical perspective -with an emphasis on the 20th century- in order to broaden our own understanding of the world we live in. We believe through stories of human lives and struggles, both dramatic and comedic, we can understand social history and culture and how it affects us today.

Retro received recognition from their first two productions of Catholic School Girls and Mrs. California (as River Heights Productions) then gathered momentum in their third season with the Retro production of Still Life. Also directed by Ric Sechrest, Still Life received accolades from playwright Emily Mann: "Your production got it...Every aspect of the experience was first rate. Retro is clearly a company dedicated to creating impeccable work that truly matters," and Heather E. Cunningham's performance was honored alongside Romeo and Juliet’s Lauren Ambrose and August: Osage County’s Deanna Dunagan as one of Backstage's ‘2007 Performances to Remember’.

Retro Productions put themselves on the map in their fourth season producing Sally Nemeth's Mill Fire and What I Did Last Summer, called "...first-rate: brisk, sweet and occasionally quite moving," by playwright A.R. Gurney. This, their first season in residence at The Spoon Theater, garnered six 2008 New York Innovative Theatre Award nominations: two for performance and four for design, a New York Magazine ‘Off-off Broadway pick’ and the growing reputation of ‘the finished effect of a Retro Production’ (The Fab Marquee, Mill Fire). Kicking off with The Tender Trap and concluding with When You Comin’ Back Red Ryder? Retro's fifth season is proving that with a design team that has the ability to achieve 'theatrical time travel,' (The Fab Marquee) and "a powerful display of New York's dramatic talent," (offoffonline) Retro Productions is “...becoming a reliable source for first-class work.” (United Stages).