by Tony Annicone
Welcome to the madcap world of Ken Ludwig’s “Moon Over Buffalo”, the closing show of Providence College’s Blackfriar’s Theatre season. This farce is set in 1953 at the Erlanger Theatre in Buffalo, New York. George and Charlotte Hay are on tour doing “Cyrano” and “Private Lives” in repertory. Famous director Frank Capra wants them both to star in a movie version of The Scarlet Pimpernel and is headed to the theatre to catch the show. Only problem is that George is drunk and doesn’t know which of the two shows is being performed. So at times he delivers lines from both of them as well as swearing up a storm. There are hilarious misunderstandings and madcap adventures that occur during this comic romp. Director Brett Epstein keeps the pace of the show in constant motion. He is aided by the incredible sets by Josh Christofferson and the beautiful 1950’s and character costumes by Jessie Darrell Jarbadan. Their combined expertise gives the show the necessary ingredients to ensure the enjoyment of the audience all night long.
Epstein casts his show wonderfully and his college performers shine in their roles. He creates some clever chase scenes and slapstick moments. The fighting sequences were created by Sarah Bedard, a former PC grad whom I reviewed as Little Sally in “Urinetown” as a senior in 2009. She is now a Boston based teacher and performer. Thomas Edwards is fabulous and is a hoot in the leading role of George. He creates a great deal of chaos all night long and his womanizing ways eventually catch up to him. Edwards’ drunken scene is priceless and he also does clever pratfalls all over the stage. The tug of war with his Cyrano pants ripping is very funny, too. Julia DiBari plays the long suffering wife, Charlotte. Her one liners are hilarious including that she’s starting to look like Ed Sullivan as are her caustic comments on all that is happening around her. Caprial Harris shines as Charlotte’s deaf mother who thinks her granddaughter is asking for lemonade when she’s telling her to put on her hearing aid. She has the funniest line in the show when George falls off stage and comments “That is where you belong in the pit!” which won her sustained laughter. Also funny is the almost hanging up on Frank Capra near the end of the show. The mistaken lines from “Cyrano” and “Private Lives” are comic gems.
The supporting cast does topnotch work, too. Aisling Sheahan as the Hays’ daughter, Roz delivers an energetic portrayal as an actress waiting for her leading man to appear onstage. Only he appears to her as Cyrano when he’s supposed to be Elliot. This madcap scene wins laughter from start to finish. Aisling as Roz’s argument scenes with Paul are splendid. Steven Sawan is Roz’s ex-boyfriend, Paul who is the manager of the acting troupe. He is tall, dark and handsome. One of his funniest moments happens when he tries to get the drunken George’s pants on him. A farcical gem supplied by Epstein. Rounding out the cast is Ryan Worrell as Howard, Roz’s fiancee who is a weatherman and when he gets nervous can’t remember his name, Halle Pratt as Elaine a ditsy actress who is pregnant and William Oser as the lawyer that Charlotte loves or maybe not. So be sure to catch this fun filled farce to see some comic acting and timing that will leave you laughing merrily all night long.
MOON OVER BUFFALO (5 to 14 April)
Providence College, Angell Black Friars Theatre, Smith Center for the Arts, Eaton Street, Providence, RI
1(401)865-2084 or www.providence.edu/theatre
