Fall play explores one man`s worth

The Hawken School Players Society will present its fall production, "The Adding Machine," on Friday, October 27 at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, October 28 at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, October 29 at 4:00 p.m. at the School`s Gates Mills campus. Elmer Rice`s "Adding Machine," dating back to 1923, is widely considered to be the first American Expressionistic play. It spins the tale of Mr. Zero, a witless fool trapped in a dead-end bean counter job and a marriage made in hell. His friends reek vapidity, and his so-called life offers little hope. Death is his only escape, but even then, his irrelevance chases him into the afterlife where the true meaning of his existence is revealed. Twenty Hawken students will form the ensemble cast including junior Sam Skove as Mr. Zero, junior Amy Murdoch as his grating wife, senior Audrey Schaefer as coworker Daisy and senior Kyle Blackburn as his random and desperate friend Shrdlu, found only in the afterlife. Senior Harrison Adams sets Mr. Zero straight as Lieutenant Charles in the play`s final scene. The production will be appropriate for middle schoolers to adults. Tickets are $5 for general admission seats and $12 for preferred patron seating.