Moon Over Buffalo

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

Little wonder Ken Ludwig’s hilarious madcap play Moon Over Buffalo stands out in popularity. A comedic actor’s dream, if they have the stamina that is, to engage in some of the funniest material ever put to paper. As Country Dinner Playhouse’s current production, director Billie McBride brought together some of Denver’s top-flight comedic actors, turned them loose with the script, and then turned them loose on the round stage, the aisles and the rafters. Containing these characters, much less the actors wearing their rambunctious outfits, souls, and confused mixed up messed up psyche’s is no small trick.

Amy Board as Rosalind and Josh Robinson as Paul star in the Country Dinner Playhouse production of Moon Over Buffalo.

In Buffalo, New York sits a small theatre, the Erlanger Theatre in 1953. Hardly upscale and a far cry from Broadway’s White Way, George Hay (James Nantz) and his wife Charlotte (Sharon Kay White) struggle to keep their names afloat and the theatre running smoothly in rep alternating Cyrano de Bergerac and Private Lives.

George and Charlotte once upon a time were big names in theatre, frequently playing Broadway. No longer. Now they not only have a theatre to run, they carry bitter feelings over not being cast in a movie featuring Ronald Coleman and Greer Garson.

The play opens with a hilarious rehearsal of Cyrano with George wearing a misshapen nose and Cyrano’s costume. The cast is tired, and Cyrano has a near impossible time getting them to react with enthusiasm.

Backstage, their daughter Rosalind (Amy Board) brings in her tortured and hesitant fiancé, Howard (Darren R. Schroader) taking her grandmother, Ethel, by surprise. Charlotte’s mother, Ethel, most of the time refuses to wear her hearing aid with words getting jumbled and turned upside down. Edith Weiss turns off her hearing to play Granny and she’s too spectacular for words.

Rosalind left the theatre life because she can’t tolerate the confusion, returning only to visit her parents and introduce them to Howard. Rosalind wants to know if she can get Ethel her hearing aid, but the tottering old woman replies: “no she doesn’t want any lemonade.”

Board brings to the escapade a bright, enthusiastic, charming young lady eager to flaunt her fiancé before everyone, especially her ex-fiancé, Paul (Josh Robinson). Howard stands in awe of the Hays, but being flaunted turns his knees to water, and his nervous system disassociated from the rest of his body. Words come out of his mouth upside down and sideways. Rosalind cares not it’s the flaunting she’s interested in. Schroader is just plain fabulous playing Howard.

George has great difficulty dealing with Ethel, which frequently leaves him mumbling and grumbling in her presence knowing and trusting she’s not wearing her hearing aid. As Ethel cleans up the Green Room, George lashes out at her with growling statements. Leaving the room, she whips around to let George know she is wearing the hearing aid.

Nantz turns George upside down playing him to the hilt, matched only by White’s adoption of Charlotte.

Robinson gives Paul a cool head, surrounded in suaveness. He’s the only one who not only has a head on his shoulders but also knows how to use it. This troupe needs some stability, and its Paul.

Clarissa Hope Stranske engulfs the sweet, confident actor, Eileen who having had a brief affair with George is relatively certain she is pregnant. Confronting George with the news, his main concern, of course, is keeping it from Charlotte. Doing the right thing, Eileen informs him she has already left a note written on the current issue of Variety. Desperate to get his hands on that issue, he finds it, in Charlotte’s hands.

Suave, oiled to the gills, Gregory Price saunters in as Richard, the theatre’s lawyer from New York. In love with Charlotte, he flies in to take her to lunch. A chameleon-coated actor, Price just know comedy, he is comedy with a capitol C.

With great timing, every single member of this cast knows how to blow up their characters squeaking out every ounce of funny.

George learns Coleman has broken his leg on the movie set that Frank Capra is flying out to see their matinee, sending Charlotte into another jealous snit, because she wants to be included.

Richard wants Charlotte to marry him.

No one knows who Howard is because he can’t seem to stay in one place managing always to be at the wrong place at the wrong time.

Everyone pushes Rosalind to get back together with Paul who just remains cool and confident. It is obvious they love each other in spite of their bitter exchange of words.

George disappears sending everyone scattering to find him with the matinee looming closer. George returns in a drunken stupor. Nantz is brilliant in this wild uncontrolled scene. Adding to the confusion, he changes the matinee show from Private Lives to Cyrano.

Ensconced in her own hysteria, Charlotte mistakes Howard for Capra, lavishing him with dripping attention. Howard’s nervous in the service reaction pounces on the opportunity giving her a weather man demonstration, rattling Charlotte to stone cold surprise. No time to sort out confusion. Capra’s here, the play must go on and George remains soaked in drink.

Eileen not up to going onstage, forces the familiar role onto Rosalind. The set is definitely Private Lives. Rosalind in character stands on the balcony calling her husband to join her. Not appearing, she calls again, and again, and again sending her into a hilarious disjointed ad lib. Eventually George appears dressed as Cyrano. To say the matinee is a disaster is the understatement of the year. Relief floods when they learn Capra’s plane was delayed and he will be there for the evening performance. Rosalind falls head over heels in love, again, with Paul. Howard’s identity gets untangled, and he finds love right under his nose. George and Charlotte get snuggly reconciled. Richard gets left out in the cold, again, and Ethel gets one of the best lines in the whole play when she asks, “Which play are you doing tonight?”

One hilarious moment topples over another in a wild roller coaster ride with wonderfully defined characters, and top of the line actors, and finely astute direction.

Rob Westan designed a significant set that works beautifully on the round stage giving definition without blocking anyone’s view. Geoffrey Kent’s fight choreography matched the actors’ style and ability with cool and precise execution. Nicole M. Harrison-Hoof’s delicious costumes couldn’t be improved upon even if one wanted to try.

Moon Over Buffalo was the first show McBride performed in when she first arrived in Denver, and has wanted to direct it so bad she could taste it. That tasting served her well with spectacular results. Just keeping this particular cast under wraps and in line is no small trick. McBride knew when to let out the reins and when to rein them in. Yea, right, but a perfect combination of director, cast and script.

Country Dinner’s production of Moon Over Buffalo definitely must be on the “Go See” list in spite of the magnanimous competition vying for attention in the theatre community.