Psycho Beach Party
by Diversionary Theatre
by Diversionary Theatre
As the title suggests, terror stalks the sand in this off-beat comedy. But don't get your swimsuit in a knot. The worst that could happen is waking to find all of your hair shaved off. No follicle is safe!
That's what happens when crazy Chicklet's (David McBean) alter ego, the terrifying Ann Bowman, repeatedly takes over Chicklet's sweet, innocent mind. Is there any hope for our split-personality heroine? Hope won't be easy to find on this beach.
It's not coming from Mom. Her mother, Mrs. Forrest (Michael Douglas Hummel), clearly passed down the "crazy" gene to her daughter. Mom's paranoid, man-hating take on life prompts her to take drastic measures to keep her little Chicklet pure, but does nothing to ease the girl's insanity.
It's not coming from her best friend, the cute but nerdy Berdine (Jessica Drizd) who only has four eyes for Chicklet.
It's not coming from beach bum king Kanaka (Carl Cunningham) who only seeks to take advantage of alter ego Ann Bowman's raging hormones.
Nor is it not coming from beach bums Provoloney (Daniel Stih) and Yo-Yo (Thomas Fitzpatrick), who become far too infatuated with each other to pay much mind to Chicklet's little mental instabilities.
That just leaves blonde beach bimbo Marvel Ann (Lisel M. Gorell) who loses complete interest in everything except men, her new beach bum beau Star Cat (Robert Borzych) who finds himself strangely attracted to little Chicklet despite the considerably stronger feminine allure of Marvel Ann, and vacationing sensuous starlet Bettina Barnes (Melissa Supera) who only wants to be adored and doted over by others. Someone is going to have to rise above their dramatically stereotyped role, or soon every beachcomber will be bald!
Diversionary Theatre put together an amazingly talented cast for this goofy, twisted spoof on Sixties beach movies, led by David McBean who is hysterical as he transforms between four or five ridiculous and far-removed personalities. Despite his dominating presence, each of the actors was more than strong enough and outrageous enough to stand out on their own, with some particularly sharp performances by mommy dearest Michael Douglas Hummel, superstar Melissa Supera, and the marvelously melodramatic Marvel Ann, Lisel M. Gorell. But I could easily see all of them with their own spin-off movies coming out next summer!
So if you're looking for a groovy time with nearly non-stop laughs and no discernable moral message, all wrapped up in a beach blanket, then I encourage you to cruise on down to Diversionary before June 23rd. Please note that there are some adult themes in this show. In fact, it's chock full of them. So please, mature audiences only.
Or at least moderately mature!
Rob Hopper
San Diego Playbill
~ Cast ~
Marvel Ann: Lisel M. Gorell
Provoloney: Daniel Stih
Bettina Barnes: Melissa Supera
Star Cat: Robert Borzych
Chicklet: David McBean
Berdine: Jessica Drizd
Yo-Yo: Thomas Fitzpatrick
Kanaka: Carl Cunningham
Mrs. Forrest: Michael Douglas Hummel
