Original watercolor raffle at "Teatime Travesty" to benefit elementary school play

Well, this is fun. And yet another reason that I love Laurie Nienhaus.

As part of the early October production of her original (and charming) original comedy "A Teatime Travesty," six oversized watercolors will decorate a conference room of The Holiday Inn on Estero Boulevard.

Created by local artist Babs Snyderman, the images - each six feet tall - feature 1920s women. Each painting carries a popular Jazz Age name, like Daisy, Lillian or Clara.

The works are for more than decoration. Beach Haus Productions will sell $3 raffle tickets during their shows. Six lucky winners can take home a painted lady, while proceeds from the raffle will go to Fort Myers Beach Elementary to help finance their spring production of "Aladdin."

"A Teatime Travesty" runs Oct. 5, 6, 12 & 13 at the Holiday Inn, 6890 Estero Boulevard on Fort Myers Beach. Doors open at 1 p.m., with lunch service at 1:30 p.m. and showtime at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $30; call (239) 463-1079 or laurienienhaus.com.

You can read my long-ago review of "A Teatime Travesty," when it was performed at Brambles Tea Room in Naples, here: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/feb/08/review-brambles-play-makes-breezy-teatime-fun/.

Complete press release below.

"A Teatime Travesty" brewing on Fort Myers Beach

It's the opening day of the Lily Pond Tearoom
and the day's about to go...south.
And trust us...you'll want to be there!

The Holiday Inn on Fort Myers Beach will host "A Teatime Travesty" for two weekends on Oct. 5-6 and 12-13. The show, an original one-act from playwright Laurie Neinhaus, tells of a society social gone awkwardly awry.

One of the hotel's meeting rooms will be transformed into a Roaring '20s speakeasy for the occasion.

Tickets ($30, tax & gratuity included) guarantee guests luncheon with tea or coffee, dessert and the show. Jazz Age cocktails, such as a Mary Pickford, Gin Rickey or Side Car and other adult beverages available, along with a cash bar.

"A Teatime Travesty" runs Oct. 5, 6, 12 & 13 at the Holiday Inn, 6890 Estero Boulevard on Fort Myers Beach. Doors open at 1 p.m., with lunch service at 1:30 p.m. and showtime at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $30; call (239) 463-1079 or laurienienhaus.com.

You can read my long-ago review of "A Teatime Travesty," when it was performed at Brambles Tea Room in Naples, here: http://www.naplesnews.com/news/2008/feb/08/review-brambles-play-makes-breezy-teatime-fun/.

Complete press release below.

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ONE ACT PLAY TURNS THE TABLES ON TEA TIME

FORT MYERS BEACH, FL (September 9, 2013) – Playwright, author, and local speaker Laurie Neinhaus puts her creativity to work again with a new spin on “A Teatime Travesty,” a one-act play by Beach Haus Productions. Those who have seen it before at one of several Southwest Florida venues, will not want to miss one of only four performance dates at the Holiday Inn, 6890 Estero Blvd. Fort Myers Beach.
            Tickets are $30 per person for limited seating on two consecutive weekends at 1:00 p.m. Saturday, October 5 and Sunday, October 6, or October 12 and 13. Included with the ticket price is the show, luncheon with tea or coffee, dessert, tax and gratuities. Themed 1920s cocktails, such as a Mary Pickford, Gin Rickey or Side Car and other adult beverages will be available for purchase.
            Holiday Inn is a sponsor, transforming a meeting room to a Roaring ‘20s speakeasy.
            Presented by The Friends of the Arts of Fort Myers Beach and Beach Haus Productions, the play opens with the arrival of guest speaker Fern Well, a fashion disaster who regales the audience in the Lily Pond Tea Room with stories about botanical toxicity instead of roses.  Mayhem ensues as horrified society mavens smilingly wrest control of the room despite rivalries of their own.
            Doors open at 1:00 p.m. with a cash bar. Lunch is served at 1:30 p.m. and the show begins at 2:30 p.m. Seating may be reserved by calling Laurie Neinhaus at 239-463-1079 or visiting her website at http://www.laurienienhaus.com.