Southern High-Jinx on the High Seas
By Paul Atreides
Author, playwright, and Theatre critic at EatMoreArtVegas.com
What better way to spend a cold January than on a cruise?
Las Vegas Little Theatre (LVLT) kicks off the second half of the 47th season with the tongue-in-cheek farcical Four Old Broads on the High Seas by Leslie Kimbell. The script made me think of Del Shores’ Sordid Lives, except here the main characters are all residents of the Magnolia Senior Center off on a retirees’ only nine-day cruise to the Bahamas. And, of course, the four women, having exhausted the supply at the Center, are all out to snag a man.
Opening night jitters most likely caused the missed cues, which, in turn, occasionally slowed the pace required to pull off a farce of this type.
The script is filled with clichés that work, especially when delivered by Wendy Friedman as the bawdy Beatrice Shelton. Friedman doesn’t hold back, and her timing on punchlines is (almost always) spot on. With a gravelly voice, she’s bold, she’s brassy, tons of fun, and a delight to watch.
Ed Murray plays Herbert, the cruise Lothario, who manages to woo all four women as well as any others on the ship. Murray brings the right sense of smarmy and slimy, and his sleight of hand is good enough that it takes a while to figure out what he’s up to as it should.
Every cruise has entertainment, but it's not as funny as this one. As Tequila Mockingbird, Kyle Jones delivers a drag queen performance RuPaul would find hilarious. Jones lets loose and brings a joyful abandonment to the role even when Tequila isn’t on the ship’s stage.
In a cast of 11, two other actors stand out in their very tiny roles, proving once again that it’s not the number of lines or time onstage that matters; it’s what the actor does with them. Martin Glade as Horace Bumpus and Catherine Cecil Bucher as Edna Bumpus bring fun to stereotype characters. She’s got hearing problems, and he’s always having to shout at her while she consistently misinterprets. Yet, they manage to pull it off and make it funny.
Directed by David Ament, some of the blocking is stilted and unnatural. You can tell actors want to move and are stuck in place. In the opening scene, the ladies are in a straight line across the stage, ogling Captain Sterling, played by Ross Grossman, when they should surround him and fight for his attention. Later on, the women beat a jewel thief with their purses with such false force that it wouldn’t hurt a fly. Instead of coming across as funny, it kills the suspension of disbelief that is absolutely required for a farce of this type.
The costumes are well done. Particularly the dresses and wigs Jones wears for his drag show impersonations. The outfits Beatrice dons are just the right amount of naughty. Ron Lindblom’s cruise line showroom set is a wonderful level of tacky with a bar, tables, and a small stage with a glittering curtain.
This is perfect local theatre fare; overall, it’s an entertaining production. Opening night was almost full, and performances were selling out quickly. Given the premise of the play, it’s not surprising.
Special Note: Please remember that LVLT has permanently changed its evening performance curtain time to 7 p.m.
What: Four Old Broads on the High Seas
When: 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 2 p.m. Sundays through February 2
2 p.m. Saturday, January 25 and February 1
Where: Las Vegas Little Theatre - Mainstage, 3920 Schiff Drive
Tickets: $35 (702-362-7996; www.lvlt.org)
Grade: **** Scrumptious
Producer: Las Vegas Little Theatre; Director: David Ament; Set Design: Ron Lindblom; Lighting Design: Ginny Adams; Costumes: Julie Horton; Wigs: Dominique Sifuentes; Sound Design: Lisa Tollefson; Stage Manager: Eva Aguilar
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