Regional Reviews: Florida - West Coast Love, Actually Also see Bill's recent review of The Wiz
Next up was Mrs. Jansen Isn't Here Now by Steven Korbar and directed by Garry Allan Breul (the back and brains behind Suncoast AIDS Theater Project). A man and a woman are in a bar, the setup for many jokes and an equal number of plays. They are flirting a bit. For a few moments it looks like they are striking out, but then Mary Margaret finds out that Chris was until recently a Catholic priestor was he? Nice performances from Liz Pascoe as Mary Margaret and Joseph Mammina, new to Starlite Players, made this piece fun. After intermission came One Night Stan by Adam Szudrich and directed by Mike Lusk, a rat-a-tat telling of the adventures of three women on a date with the same man. Here Mr. Lusk's direction took center stage, because this piece could easily become a hunk of mush without sharp delivery, which he got from Ariella Pizarro as Rachel, Liz Pascoe as Holly, and Jennifer Lee as Marie. Last was the most substantial piece of the evening, Assisted Loving by Jack Gilhooley and directed by Mark Woodland. Set in an assisted living facility, the favorite game is musical beds. Hermione, played by Andrea Dovner, has come to visit her mother Rosalind, played by Jan Wallace, and is horrified to find her involved in a passing romance with Benny, played by Neil Levine. Doris the receptionist and underage participant, played by Maria Larson, tries to calm Hermione down. The piece is really well written, Rosalind is a former Professor of Shakespeare and Mr. Gilhooley weaves in an unbelievable number of quotes from his works as mother and daughter try to identify each as they pop up. What is so funny is how relevant they are to the story being told. Later he brings in other playwrights from the same era for an extra layer of fun. This was the work's premiere production, and it sure shouldn't be the last. The Starlite Players played to sold out houses all weekend, making them and Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe the two hottest tickets in town. Congratulations to The Starlite Players for how far they have come in just over a year and how consistent they are month to month. Next month they will offer Thank YouI Think from November 10-13. Love, Actually played through October 23, 2016, presented by The Starlite Players at The Starlite Room, 1001 Cocoanut Avenue, Sarasota, FL. For more information, visit www.starliteplayers.com. Casts: The Crew: Special Thanks to: |