ON THE EDGE: Review
The Bobcat Players kicked off their 2018 season with a one night only performance of a series of one acts, On The Edge. In addition, the audience members were treated to a preview of the Beaver High School's spring production of Anything Goes.
The evening started with two psychiatrists reflecting on patients from their past. Each patient was a character in the following scene. The scenes depicted characters in scenarios from their childhood, on delusional vacations, making a lifelong trip, and interviewing for the dream job.
In the first scene, Boy Meets Girl by Sam Wolfson, two kids discover love on the playground. Juxtapose this scenario adding Shelly Cary and Dave Cary as the kids and you've got a recipe for laughter. Shelly and Dave capture the innocence of recess love and the carefree sense of falling in love in a matter of minutes. The highlight of the scene was the relationship contract given to Shelly's character: check Yes or No if you will be my girlfriend. Once Dave and Shelly make their relationship official, their giddiness spilled into the audience and left us nostalgic for the days of simple love.
The second scene, Noir in Second Class by C.J. Ehrlich, tells the story of a husband and wife (Andrew Mayle and Valerie Boyce) traveling via train through Europe. The only problem: the wife thinks she's a Hollywood actress from the 40s possibly stuck in noir detective film. The high energy and prop heavy scene kept the audience on their toes wondering where the scene would take them next. Mayle and Boyce kept the audience guessing until the final moment as Boyce storms out of the train compartment to follow her next adventure.
The third scene, The Kids' Menu by Richard Vetere, was a hilarious look at a confrontation between a suburban mother and a pizza shop owner. Her complaint: no menu for the children. The scene, starring Dawn Fowler and Brandon Fowler, surprisingly delved into the all to common topic of gentrification in established city neighborhoods. The two hilariously argue back and forth between reasons the pizza should or should not have a kids menu. At one point trying to seduce the pizza shop owner. In the end, neither got what they wanted, except a couple of headaches.
The fourth scene, Graceland by Katie Thayer, follows a young lady (Kelly Follmer) on a once in a lifetime trip to, you guessed it, Graceland. The scene takes place in a diner where the waitress (Andrea Cary) and the young lady bond over their love of Elvis. The share nostalgic stories of what Elvis means to them and the fact that the waitress has a dog named Lisa Marie. It's a fun sweet scene where the diner itself isn't what it seems. This scene stands out as it is not as fast paced as the others. It gives a moment to take a breath and really enjoy the exchanges between the actors in the scene.
The final scene, Storm, Sheets, and Show Tunes by Stacey Lane, takes a hilarious spin on the process of an audition. The locale is a historical theatre and the audition is to see which ghost will best haunt the theatre. All three ghosts are widely different. Ghost #1 played by Will Rutherford is ready to upgrade from haunting a convenient store. Ghost #2 played by Casey Novak is eager to audition as she doesn't have a "full time" haunt. Finally, Ghost #3 played by Joyce Hoellein is an experienced ghost having haunted a cemetery for a hundred years. Each ghost's audition is, well let's say, hilariously fits the character. Rutherford dons a sheet, Novak is over prepared for her audition by singing and reciting Shakespeare, while Hoellein truly haunts the theatre. The scene plays like a nightmarish story from a casting director's autobiography.
Each scene throughout the night moved with ease and comfort. The audience lapped up the jokes and smiled at the sweet moments. The show itself fit and took a journey to the edge of all emotions.
