Buffalo Theatre Ensemble mines 'Moon' for laughs
It makes sense that Buffalo Theatre Ensemble in Glen Ellyn would want to produce Ken Ludwig's comedy “Moon Over Buffalo” during its celebratory 25th anniversary season.
First of all, there's the obvious “Buffalo” connection between the show's title and the theater company. Then there's the subject matter: Down-on-their-luck actors in a touring company might have a second chance at making it big in Hollywood if all goes well at their next performance in (where else?) Buffalo, N.Y.
The play's heroes are mainly the husband-and-wife acting duo George and Charlotte Hay (Bryan Burke and Amelia Barrett), who never broke through to become major Hollywood stars despite their storied careers in the theater. (Instead, they were once stalwarts for awful B-movies.) Currently touring “Cyrano de Bergerac” and “Private Lives” in repertory with diminished resources, the duo's hopes are raised once they hear that Hollywood director Frank Capra is considering them as quick replacement stars for his in-production swashbuckler “Twilight of the Scarlet Pimpernel.”
But since this is a backstage farce, things don't go according to plan. There are mix-ups from George's hearing-impaired mother-in-law, Ethel (Loretta Hauser), and adulterous attractions from George for the ingénue Eileen (Courtney Blomquist) and for Charlotte from the agent Richard (Rob Frankel).
As a subplot, George and Charlotte's grown daughter, Rosalind (Amanda Hartley), wants her parents to meet her meek weatherman finance, Howard (Patrick Tierney), even though there's the risk of running into her former boyfriend and company actor, Paul (Carl Lindberg).
When “Moon Over Buffalo” originally premiered in 1995, much of the publicity came with the fact that the show marked the Broadway return of comedy legend Carol Burnett after a 30-year absence. But without all that celebrity buzz, it becomes clear that “Moon Over Buffalo” isn't as great a backstage farce as other funnier and better-crafted shows like Michael Frayn's “Noises Off” or Ludwig's own “Lend Me a Tenor.”
“Moon Over Buffalo” noticeably strains with lame comic plot contrivances, like the whole business about a General Patton military uniform and the drunken play-within-a-play fiasco. Plus the play's resolution is far-too speedy and tidy as it brushes off serious and potentially relationship-ending conflicts with a shrug. Yet even with a second-rate script, director Connie Canaday Howard and her very capable acting company do their best to bring out as much of the funny business and physical humor as they can.
Burke and Barrett have a grand time as the overly theatrical George and Charlotte, who are often at odds with each other. Hartley's no-nonsense Rosalind is a nice foil to Lindberg's upstanding Paul and Teirney's easily excitable Howard. Costume designer Barbara H. Niederer and hair and makeup designer Allison R. Amidei also help with their respective 1950s period costumes and coifs.
In a season that mostly features heavy dramatic works like “Tuesdays with Morrie” and “The Drawer Boy,” “Moon Over Buffalo” is clearly meant to be comic relief for Buffalo Theatre Ensemble. T
he play may not be the best, but it does offer quite a few opportunities for well-deserved laughs.
“Moon Over Buffalo”
★ ★ ½
<b>Location:</b> Buffalo Theatre Ensemble at College of DuPage's McAninch Arts Center, 425 Fawell Blvd., Glen Ellyn, (630) 942-4000 or atthemac.org.
<b>Showtimes:</b> 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; through Feb. 12
<b>Running time:</b> Two hours with one intermission
<b>Tickets:</b> $25-$33
<b>Parking:</b> adjacent free lot
<b>Rating:</b> For teens or older (some minor sexuality)