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| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | JUNE 2017 | 29 This month, the Friendship Club presents An Evening With Groucho starring the remarkable Frank Ferrante, an actor, director, and producer described by The New York Times as "the greatest living interpreter of Groucho Marx's material." Born in Los Angeles, Frank Ferrante was raised in Sierra Madre CA by the offspring of Italian immigrants Dominic and Theresa Ferrante. His father was a stockbroker; his mother a housewife and preschool teacher. He attended Catholic schools including Christian Brothers-run La Salle High School in Pasadena, where he first performed comedy. Discovered in 1985 by Groucho's son Arthur when Frank was a drama student at the University of Southern California, Frank originated the off-Broadway title role in Groucho: A Life in Revue (written by Arthur Marx) portraying the comedian from age 15 to 85. For this role, Frank won 1987's New York's Theatre World Award and was nominated for an Outer Critics Circle Award. He reprised the role in London's West End and was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for 'Comedy Performance of the Year.' In Boston in 1988, he played the Huntington Theatre in the record- breaking run of Animal Crackers that landed Frank on the cover of American Theatre magazine. His other regional roles include Max Prince in Neil Simon's Laughter on the 23rd Floor at Philadelphia's Walnut Street Theatre (which Frank also directed); George S. Kaufman in By George (a one-man play written by Frank); Tom in the farce Perfect Wedding; Oscar in The Odd Couple and leads in The Sunshine Boys, Lady in the Dark and Anything Goes. As a director, Frank worked with M*A*S*H star Jamie Farr in the Kaufman & Hart comedy George Washington Slept Here and revivals of Simon's The Sunshine Boys, Brighton Beach Memoirs, Biloxi Blues, Broadway Bound and Lost in Yonkers. In 2001, Frank starred in, directed, and produced the national PBS television program Groucho: A Life in Revue. Tickets for this show are $20 for members, and $25 for non- resident guests. Doors open at 6 pm, and the show begins at 7 pm. Make checks out to Friendship Club, and drop them off at 5168 Rio Bravo Drive. As usual, the SLCC restaurant will be open with a special menu from 4 to 7 pm the evening of the show. For cancellations and information, call Pat at 845-3789 or Judy at 797-0265. Mark your calendars now for The Friendship Club's next program on July 9, starring The Limelighters. The Friendship Club

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