Authors and playwrights inevitably experience writer’s block. They often find inventive ways to overcome the debilitating phenomenon. But none is as imaginative as the one that the main character conjures in local writer Joe Simonelli’s comedy “Where There’s a Will.”
“Joe Simonelli’s work has been presented on Marco Island before,” noted Arts Center Theatre Executive Director Hyla Crane. “He has quite a catalog of plays to his credit and the Arts Center Theatre is excited to be presenting ‘Where There’s a Will.’”
Crane is especially enamored of the play’s premise.
“The play involves a quirk of fate where The Bard, and by that I mean William Shakespeare, is transported through time to the present, where he encounters a struggling playwright, Gordon Coldridge, who is struggling to finish a play,” said Crane. “It is comic. It is touching. It is a production that will take you on an emotional journey that will culminate in something satisfying as well as something that will enable you to laugh.”
It may even be autobiographical.
“Gordon Coldridge probably may be based on Joe Simonelli himself,” teased Crane. “I don’t know. We’ll have to ask him.”
“Where There’s a Will” is on stage through November 17.
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Simonelli is a rising star in the world of comedy.
He has often been compared to legendary playwright Neil Simon despite starting his writing career later in life.
The comparison was made by the Asbury Park Press in a review of Simonelli’s first play, "Roommates," which debuted in New Jersey in 2002.
"It would be so gratifying, not to mention prophetic and full of hindsight to say that Joe Simonelli is the next Neil Simon," said Asbury Park Press’ theater critic.
Two plays later, Neil Simon's agent came calling and he's been representing Simonelli ever since.
"As the longtime agent and representative of Larry Gelbart and Neil Simon, I find Joe Simonelli to be in good company with his more famous counterparts," commented Gary DaSilva, International Authors Society.
In “Where There’s a Will,” Simonelli blends whimsy and romance as he introduces audiences to Gordon Coldridge, a struggling playwright facing a writer’s block and personal dilemmas. When Shakespeare himself unexpectedly enters the scene, hilarity and heartfelt moments ensue as Gordon navigates the challenges of love and creativity.
“Where There’s a Will” promises to be a highlight of the season, showcasing Simonelli's trademark humor and storytelling prowess, said the Marco Island Center for the Arts in its press release announcing the production. “Local theatergoers will remember the excitement when two of his previous works, ‘Men Are Dogs’ and ’Heaven Help Me,’ ran simultaneously in 2015!”
Tickets for “Where There’s a Will” are available now at https://www.marcoislandart.org/arts-center-theatre/ or by calling the box office at 239-784-1186.
Marco Island Center for the Arts brings a wide variety of arts to its community through art exhibitions, engaging educational programs for adults and children and a diverse assortment of events. The Art Center serves as a professional and financial driver for visual and performing artists and educators through exhibition, performance and teaching opportunities while being a catalyst that fuels economic development, an understanding of cultural diversity and community cohesion.
Marco Island Center for the Arts inspires artistic expression and advances education and appreciation of the arts. The Art Center honors Marco Island and Southwest Florida’s rich, diverse, and creative heritage through active community engagement in the visual and performing arts.