The Snow Ball

Characteristic of Gurney's inimitable style of intertwining the present with the past, this lovely play (set primarily in the elegant ballroom of the old George Washington Hotel and performed to recorded music) poses a most poignant question: Is recapturing the qualities of grace, beauty, and cibility too painful for today's society; when charm and elegance no longer seem desirable or important? For one fleeting winter's night, Cooper Jones reunites a group of old friends, soothes over lingering sorrows, and recreates the glittering moment when they swept away from their youth toward an uncertain future. Taking place in the present and the past, the unit set depicts multiple settings. The cast calls for eight males and eight females but casting can be reduced by doubling. The hardcover Fireside Theatre edition lists the cast/ credits for the original productions at Hartford Stage Company, the Old Globe in San Diego, and the Huntington Theatre in Boston . It also has four pages of black/white production photos.