Neil Simon’s comedy, Rumors, Tryon Little Theater’s latest endeavor, has some kooky characters cavorting on stage.
Meet Cookie and Ernie Cusack, the sugary-sweet, lovey-dovey couple with just a few hang-ups and quirks.

Cookie is the flamboyant host of her own cooking show. She’s a bit garish and ditzy, and unfortunately has a bad back—something that will become obvious to the audience as the play progresses.
Played by Lori Lee from Spartanburg, S.C. (who graced the TLT stage in 9 to 5 the Musical, and was the homicidal cook in Clue), Lee says her character loves her husband, but loves the spotlight and attention more than anything, and hopes she isn’t being type-cast.
Her sweet husband Ernie, played by Steve Harvey (also from Spartanburg), is an analyst.  He’s somewhat quiet and reserved, puffing away on his pipe, and he offers a calming presence in the midst of the confusion—most of the time. Harvey is new to the TLT stage. And after a long absence from acting he was prompted to audition for the show because of  empty nest syndrome, and also in honor of a teacher who cast him in his first high school production.
“Two weeks into rehearsals and all of us are still laughing at the lines,” says Harvey.  “I guess we really need to get over that before opening night.”
Rumors is a madcap farce set in a large home just outside New York. As characters arrive to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their friends, they discover things aren’t quite as they expected – with an attempted suicide, a missing wife, mistaken identities, and a whole lot of laughs.
Rumors runs Nov. 14-17 and Nov. 21-24 at the TLT Workshop at 516 S. Trade St. in Tryon. Evening performances start at 8 p.m., with Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Tickets went on sale Nov. 7 at the Workshop box office (Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. – 1 p.m., and Tuesday and Thursday 4 -7 p.m.).
Call 828-859-2466 for more information.
– article submitted by Monica Jones