Under the direction of Neil H. Weiss, Moon Over Buffalo brought a full house to tears, snorts and cackles in The Little Theatre on Saturday night. A bold script, brave cast and breathtaking set design made for an unforgettable show.
Comedic plays are easy to butcher–they can quickly become awkward and boring when jokes or funny moments in the script are over-thought and over-rehearsed, but when actors are overall committed to their characters and to the moments they are living in, it becomes effortless to keep their audience’s full attention throughout a two hour show.
With a script full of humiliation, backstabbing, intimate moments and some loud moaning, Chelsea Barron and Jose Menchaca played the two main characters, George and Charlotte Hay, with full devotion to a wide range of emotional highs and lows. From sensual and playful sword fighting to the pain and anger surrounding George’s scandal, the two embodied the real damaged connection that is their characters’ marriage perfectly.
The real star of the show was Franzetta Dorsey as Ethel. She stole the stage every time she was on it. Dorsey exemplified a grandma in every sense of the word. Ethel’s selective hearing combined with the little tomato cushion on her wrist took her commitment to the ‘send me to a retirement home’ attitude to the next level.
Another stand-out performance came from those behind the scenes. The two-story set was designed with amazing attention to detail, like a loft style front door and a wall that opened up for set changes; and the set changes themselves were a perfectly choreographed good time. Crew members came out dancing as they moved set pieces around smoothly and quickly, while giving the audience some additional laughs.
Saturday night’s show of Moon Over Buffalo was an example of comedy done right, with an unafraid approach from every person involved.
