On Stage: “Hole in the Wall”

Weston Today photos

February 20, 2026  |  by Ted Craft

The world premiere of Hole in the Wall, a new comedy by playwright Jeff Hughes, takes place at Lachat Town Farm on Friday, March 6, the latest in a series of productions that are making the farm a top-tier regional theater destination.

Christopher Denham

The play is directed by Christopher Denham, whose acting credits include major roles in the films Oppenheimer and Manhattan and on television in Billions and For All Mankind. Theatergoers will remember his Broadway role opposite George Clooney in Good Night, and Good Luck.

Tickets are on sale now for nine performances between March 6 and the 22nd.

“This show is very much a throwback,” said Mr. Denham, whom we met at an early rehearsal as sets were being built. “It’s a new American play infused with a lot of the old classic comic timing,” he said. “This may sound strange coming from the writer and me, but we keep referencing The Honeymooners.”

The writer, Mr. Hughes, is a founder of the Boardwalk Theater Company. In 2009, Steven Sondheim presented him and collaborator Scott Ethier with the Richard Rodgers Award, an honor conferred by the American Academy of Arts and Letters for the development of new musical theater works.

“Hole in the Wall is about a working class couple who work very hard but can’t quite cobble it together,” said Mr. Denham. “They’ve done everything right, but everything keeps going wrong, and they really need a break.”

“The question of the play becomes,” he said, “what happens when they actually catch a break? What happens when something has the possibility to change their lives? And really, is that a good thing?”

Expect the unexpected

“What’s fun about this show is that you really don’t see around the bend,” said Mr. Denham. “A lot of the time it kind of pulls the rug out from under you. That’s what I love about this writer. In addition to being very funny, it is a very surprising night of theater.”

“I think it also gets to the heart of something that’s on a lot of people’s minds,” said Mr. Denham. “I’ve told the actors it really is a story about the American dream.”

The actors are Kevin Pettei, playing Eddie, and Lucy Lavely as Marina. “We saw a lot of actors during auditions,” said Mr. Denham. “Kevin and Lucy were just phenomenal.”

Mr. Pattei

Ms. Lavely

Both actors have long resumés. Mr. Pettei’s film credits include “The Operation” (2023), “The Claddagh” (2024), and stage roles in “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “Escape from Happiness.” Ms. Lavely’s stage roles range from “Richard III” and “Macbeth” to “Dial M for Murder” and “Grapes of Wrath.”

Mr. Denham is also a fan of the theater experience at Lachat. “I think there’s an itch for a sense of community that this place is trying to scratch,” he said. “There’s something really cool about coming to a show and seeing a lot of familiar faces.”

Familiar faces behind the scenes of Hole in the Wall are producer Pattie Falber, executive producer Anita Dinwoodie, and assistant director and stage manager Marleine Hofmann.

Evening and matinee performances take place on the following dates and times.

The Sunday matinees feature a Q&A with Mr. Hughes, the playwright, after the show.