Since I’ve broken precedent by plugging other local theatrical events, I really ought to plug my own.

Tonight is the opening night of "The Boys Next Door", a comedy by Tom Griffin.

"The Boys Next Door" is a play about four mentally handicapped men who live in a home together, and their social worker, Jackie, who is becoming burned out with her job, and her life.

The four men are as varied as they are comical.  Norman, who works in a doughnut shop and is unable to resist the lure of the sweet pastries, takes great pride in the huge bundle of keys which dangles from his waist; Lucien P. Smith has the mind of a 5-year-old, but imagines that he is able to read and comprehend the weighty books he lugs about; Arnold is the hyperactive ringleader and compulsive chatterer, who suffers from deep-seated insecurities and a persecution complex; while Barry, a brilliant schizophrenic who is devastated by the unfeeling rejection of his brutal father, fantasizes that he is a golf pro.

Mingled with scenes from the daily lives of these four, where "little things" sometimes become momentous (and often very funny), are moments of great poignancy when we are reminded with touching effectiveness that the handicapped, like the rest of us, want only to love and laugh and find some meaning and purpose in the brief time which they, like their more fortunate brothers, are allotted on this earth.

An off-Broadway success, this very funny yet very touching play focuses on the lives of four retarded men who live in a communal residence under the watchful eye of a sincere, but increasingly despairing, social worker. Filled with humor, the play is also marked by the compassion and understanding with which it peers into the half-lit world of its handicapped protagonists.

"THE BOYS NEXT DOOR is one of the most unusual…and one of the most rewarding plays in town." –Back Stage.

"Griffin’s play hits squarely on the truth of life with its constant interplays and shadings of triumphs and tears." –NY Daily News.

"THE BOYS NEXT DOOR moves the audience to an awareness of how many things in every day life we take for granted…." –NY Times.

I play the role of Arnold Wiggins.  It’s a really charming show, and a lot of hard work has gone into it.  I think it has paid off.  Come and see us!!

Presented by the Stained Glass Playhouse.   Showtimes are 8 p.m. on Oct. 7, 8, 14, 15, 21 and 22, 2 p.m. Oct. 9, 16 and 23.  All performances at the Stained Glass Playhouse, 4401 Indiana Ave, Winston-Salem. Admission $10. Call 499-1010.