VPA strikes again with ‘The Pink Panther’

WASILLA — Valley Performing Arts opens its 37th season with a performance of the “The Pink Panther Strikes Again” Sept. 7 to 23.

DJ Rotach will direct the local production of the comedy written by William Gleason and based on the film by Blake Edwards and Frank Waldman.

The world’s most unusual criminologist, Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau (a role originally created by Peter Sellers and played by VPA veteran Ted Carney), fights for his life and for the future of all mankind in the most bizarre and dangerous caper of his brilliantly successful and utterly clumsy career.

Paul Dreyfus (played by newcomer Ronald Stephenson), once his long-suffering boss now turned into a raving lunatic, holds the world at bay with the ultimate weapon — the Doomsday Machine. Dreyfus is out to get Clouseau, the man whose undeserved success has driven him crazy. Dreyfus threatens to vaporize continents if the nations of the world don’t deliver Clouseau to him alive or, if at all possible, dead.

Blissfully unaware that an army of deadly assassins is gunning for him, or that the beautiful girl who seeks him out is a Russian agent, Clouseau incredibly stumbles and slips by every attack. However, the world is running out of time because the increasingly frustrated Dreyfus with his Doomsday Machine is running out of patience. At the critical moment, it suddenly appears that Clouseau is finally running out of luck.

Then he fires from the hip and hits the audiences’ funny bone!

As director, Rotach has selected 30 great actors to bring this comedy to life, including returning actress Patty Taylor as Dr. Fassbender (“Nunsense II’s” Mother Superior) and VPA newcomer Erin Carney as Olga.

Tickets are $16 for students and seniors, $18 for adults, and can be purchased online at valleyperformingarts.org, at the VPA office, 251 W. Swanson Ave., Wasilla, or by calling 373-0195.

Patrons can also reserve advance seats for VPA’s performace of “Deathtrap” Oct. 12 to Nov. 4.

Throughout the season VPA will accept non-perishable food donations on behalf of the Food Pantry of Wasilla.