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Moon Over Buffalo by MiraCosta College With a family full of actors, you don’t exactly need the moon over Buffalo to be a full moon in order to see a bit of insanity. And that could portend problems for Roz when she brings fiancé Howard, an excited but meek accountant, to meet her family for the first time. That family is at her parents’ theatre company in Buffalo where a tempest is quickly brewing. Her father George had a one-night fling with cast member Eileen who now may be pregnant, her mother Charlotte is about to find out, occasionally deaf Grandmother Ethel would be thrilled to see George go, lawyer Richard would volunteer to take Charlotte with him, and Roz’s old flame Paul would love to rekindle their romance. And with all this mess going on, Paul might not have to work too hard to scare poor Howard off. Such is the zany plot of Ken Ludwig’s popular comedy – a comedy recently put on by MiraCosta College with a cast that had the audience getting increasingly giddy every moment as the plot grew ever zanier, Director Eric Bishop’s well-paced production getting you hooked early and keeping you hooked to the end, especially during a most memorable presentation of the play Private Lives with a Cyrano tilt to it. The cast is pretty solid all around led by Greg Hall and Deborah H. Dodaro as the bickering spouses dealing with infidelity, a financial crisis, and some disappointment over where their careers have taken them (Buffalo isn’t exactly Broadway or Hollywood). They may yet be able to have it all if they can manage to stick it out a little longer, but with the enthusiasm these two go after each other that seems highly unlikely. Of course, they are not helped by Ethel (Annella Faye), the mother-in-law from hell with a perpetual pout on her face and a biting tongue that she loves to unleash on her son-in-law, and whose hearing seems to kick on at the most inopportune times. The younger generation of this family is following the dramatic pattern – but she’s fighting it. Emily O’Brien plays daughter Roz who thinks that she yearns for a more mundane life with ordinary guy Howard (featuring a hilarious performance by Juan Castaneda), at least until she gets another taste of the high drama at home and with her former lover Paul (Matt Tucker) who is clearly determined to be her future lover as well. This successful opening production of MiraCosta’s 2004-2005 season will be followed by Cat on a Hot Tin Roof in November.
Rob Hopper ~ Cast ~
Ensemble: Eric Firdman Ensemble: Avalon Hernandez Ensemble: Jeremy Jones Paul: Matt Tucker George: Greg Hall Charlotte: Deborah Dodaro Ethel: Annella Faye Roz: Emily O'Brien Howard: Juan Castaneda Eileen: Danielle Payton Richard: Jeremy Jones Director: Eric Bishop Stage Manager: Sarah Kelley Set Designer: Kelly Kissinger Costume Designer: Heather Murray Lighting Designer: Paul A. Canaletti, Jr. |