Actors from all over Central New York have come together this season to bring “The Man Who Killed The Cure” to the stage of The Oswego Players this July.
Written by Luke Yankee and inspired by the work of Dr. Max Gerson, one of the pioneers into natural treatment methods for Cancer and other diseases, the production will run weekends July 12-21, 2024 at the Frances Marion Brown Theater at Fort Ontario in Oswego, NY.
Friday and Saturday night performances are at 7:30PM, with Sunday matinees at 2PM. Tickets are $15 for adults, $11 for seniors, and $10 for students and may be obtained by calling the Players’ box office at (315) 343-5138, or by clicking on the “Tickets” link at https://oswegoplayers.org.
When Max Gerson and his business partner, Rudolph Heller, escaped Nazi Germany, they had no idea what awaited them in New York. Rudy wanted the good life, treating his patients the traditional way. But when Max created an all-natural cure for cancer, the medical world felt threatened…not to mention his friend and colleague. Max was determined that the world should know about his findings, while the AMA and big pharmaceutical companies would stop at nothing to bury it completely. Inspired by true events in the life and death of Dr. Max Gerson, this gripping and controversial story delves into a world of medicine where the end goal is not healing, but profits.
The production is under the direction of William Edward White, who directed last season’s record-attendance and multiple TANYS-award-winning production of Yankee’s “The Last Lifeboat”.
To tell this little known and somewhat controversial chapter of history, Yankee has created a cast of characters that pose a stretch for the director and actors alike. For White, that began with casting, and ultimately bringing together a company of talent from all over Central New York.
“Sometimes, actors come to you, and sometimes you need to go to them, and for this show it was a delightful mixture of both,” he commented.
In the roles of Gerson and his friend/narrator, Heller, the two lead actors share at least one thing in common: they are both originally from Australia.
As Max, Simon Moody – who now resides in the Rochester area – brings a long tenure of roles in Community Theatre and independent films with groups throughout Central New York.
For Bill Cowham, who relocated to Oswego in 2021, this is his second season with the Oswego Players, and his fourth role with the company.
The three actresses in the cast are no strangers to Oswego-area audiences. Megan Murtha – who portrays Helga, the woman who becomes central in both Max and Rudy’s lives – started onstage with the Oswego Children’s Theatre. She has appeared in many productions for the Players and other area companies, including as part of the Ensemble in last season’s production of “The Last Lifeboat”.
Mother and daughter, Rebecca Hill Kandt and Hannah Kandt portray several ensemble roles in this production, including various versions of Charlotte Gerson – Max’s daughter who goes from a young girl to an older woman over the course of the play. Like Murtha, Hannah also began appearing in theater as a child actor, while Rebecca returned to community theatre after an almost two decade break.
Rounding out the cast are three area character actors: Tom Abrams (also from the Rochester area) in the mysterious role of Mr. Carmichael, and Syracuse-area residents Christopher Best as WOR talk radio legend Long John Nebel, and Jim Martin in a featured role as Senator Claude Pepper.
The Man Who Killed The Cure is presented by special arrangement with Yankee Hill Productions.
Dr. Rudolph Heller – played by Bill Cowham, and his mistress, Helga – played by Megan Murtha negotiate the terms of their relationship in an early rehearsal scene from Luke Yankee’s “The Man Who Killed The Cure”, which will take to stage of The Oswego Players weekends July 12-21 at the Frances Marion Brown Theater, Fort Ontario, Oswego, NY. Tickets may be obtained by calling the Box Office at (315) 343-5138, or by clicking on the “Tickets” link at https://oswegoplayers.org.