Fools

The village of Kulyenchikov is lost in a magical spell that has left its residents simpletons in Neil Simon's odd fable, 'Fools,' which continues through Feb. 8 at the Woodland Opera House.

The play, directed by Rodger McDonald, is described as 'a comic fable based on the traditional Russian folk tale, 'The Village of Idiots.' '

I can't remember seeing another play that I hated so much in the first five minutes, and the thought of sitting through two entire acts was unpleasant. This wasn't the Neil Simon we know and love. The dumb jokes and repetitive slapstick comedy made me groan. (How many times is forgetting how to open a door funny?)

From the subdued audience response, I assumed other patrons were having the same reaction.

But something happened as the play progressed. I began to chuckle, and soon everyone around me was laughing as well, as we became accustomed to the plot line and grew to know the characters.

McDonald's direction - and the skilled actors, who respected their characters - made them not only believable, but lovable. They were completely immersed in their fantasy stupidity.

The residents of Kulyenchikov literally live in 'blissful ignorance.' They know they're stupid, and have become content with it. It would be nice, for example, even to remember one's name; the shepherdess 'Something-something Snetsky' (Jean Swearingen) knows her last name, but never can remember her first name(s).

Or where she left her sheep.

Of course, none of the villagers really care all that much.

The unwitting outsider to enter this world is Leon Tolchinsky (Ben Moroski), a teacher who has been hired by the town doctor to try teaching his daughter. As it happens, if one person in the town can be taught, the spell will be broken.

Unfortunately, the teacher has only one day to make the attempt; if he can't teach her, then he, too, will come under the town's curse. Many teachers have tried, and all have fled before the end of the 24 hours, to avoid becoming fresh victims of the curse.

Moroski is a lot of fun to watch. As something of a Jon Cryer/Jerry Lewis clone, Moroski is appropriately befuddled at the townspeople, and gradually learns to accept the effects of the curse and adapt to it. But he also falls under the spell of the beautiful Sophia (Angela Read) and decides to stay with her, no matter what.

He's prepared to give up his love of learning, and the pride in his body of knowledge, if that must happen.

But he's also determined to teach her something ... even if Sophia sees no value in learning. Why should she learn that one plus one equals two, if Leon already knows it and can tell her? And why would she need to know in the first place?

Read has a marvelous ethereal demeanor: beautiful but blank, while still engaging enough to win the heart of the idealistic teacher.

Angela's parents, Dr. Zubritsky (Bobby Granger) and his wife Lenya (Shanna Sperry), are delightful, as they try to help each other like any married couple. She loses her train of thought; he tries futilely to guess what she meant to say.

Justin Kelley is great as the villain, Gregor Yousekevitch, who is determined to wed the beautiful Sophia himself. Indeed, he proposes to her every day.

Jessica Neufeld plays Yenchna, a mute who knows a secret that will help Leon. Her charade is just great.

The cast also includes Dan Beard as the Magistrate, Alan Smuda as Slovitch, and Bridget Maguire as Mishkin, the postman who has a special delivery for Leon. It might change everything. Or not.

'Fools' is a surprise: one that grows on you, thanks to the talented cast. If you need a good laugh, this show is highly recommended.

Laughter on the 23rd Floor

It is a sad fact that over the years I have been reviewing for The Davis Enterprise, I have seen that a mediocre musical will consistently get a bigger audience than a first rate play. I have often left a half-full theater thinking what a shame it is that people in this area just don't seem to come out for straight plays any more, and how sad that they don't realize what they are missing.

A case in point is Davis Musical Theater Company's new comedy series, which opened with one of Neil Simon's funnier plays, “Laughter on the 23^rd Floor.”

“Laughter” is Simon's homage to the time he spent working on “Your Show of Shows,” the old Sid Caesar weekly variety show, in the waning days of the golden era of television variety shows, and in the middle of the McCarthy era, when the networks were afraid of topical humor and were “dumbing down” shows to be more “family friendly.” The writing staff included some of the greats in comedy – Caesar himself, of course, Carl Reiner, Mel Brooks, Woody Allen, and Larry Gelbart, among others. (Reiner would go on to create his own homage to this period, in the form of “The Dick Van Dyke Show”)

Director Michael McElroy has hit a triple (not quite a home run, but close) on his first directing effort with a fast-paced, funny, well acted production that features a top notch cast.

Joshua Smith is Lucas, the Neil Simon character, who acts as both the narrator, introducing each writer in turn as he or she enters the room, and is also a participant in the action. Smith's Lucas is a fresh-faced, wide-eyed, innocent looking young man who is somewhat in awe of the company in which he finds himself on this high powered writing team. Sadly, actor Smith's lines aren't always distinct enough, so that you miss pieces of dialog or narration here and there, but overall he turns in a believable performance.

The group is writing for “The Max Prince
Show,” and Kevin Caravalho turns in an inspired, frenetic performance as Max, a comic genius whose insecurities cause him to throw up before each show, who pops pills and drinks too much. He rants and raves, throws the telephone, and punches holes in the wall, but he is intensely loyal to his writing staff and is in constant battle with the network to keep the show on the air. Caravalho always gives 110% and this role is no exception.

While this is a generally above-average cast, there are some, like Caravalho, who stand out. Paul Fearn as the head writer, Val, a Russian-Jewish immigrant, who is taking elocution lessons so that he can pronounce curse words properly, is another who lights up the stage when he makes his entrance, transforming “OK” performances into something electric. Val's exit line, at the end of the show, is one of my favorites.

Jeff Labowitch plays the hypochondriac Ira (based on Woody Allen), who arrives late each day and who seems to suffer from the malady du jour, everything from a heart attack to a brain tumor, and dreams of having a virus named after him.

Darryl Strohl is Milt, the womanizer who revels in his flashy dress. It's hard to know which is the more notable—his all white suit, or his red plaid pants (kudos to costume designer Jean Henderson).

Clocky McDowell is the chain-smoking Brian, who is always just about to make it big in Hollywood, once he writes that perfect script. His “shoe fight” with Ira was a very funny moment.

Lauren Miller is Karen, the lone woman on the writing team, who has been around so long she really is “one of the guys” (think RoseMarie in the Dick Van Dyke Show). Kris Farhood is Helen, Max's long-suffering secretary.

Kenny (Brennen Cull) is the peacemaker, the one who seems to be the solid rock of the group, constantly trying to talk sense into the other writers. By Act 2, when it becomes obvious that the show is on the way out, Kenny remarks, poignantly, “Maybe we'll never have this much fun again in our entire lives.”

Kenny was probably right, but Simon made sure that the fun didn't die entirely by recreating it in “Laughter on the 23^rd Floor,” which will give the audience a taste of what it was like to turn out one of the best variety shows in the history of television.

Fortunately, Davis Musical Theater Company has done well by the script. Treat yourself to something other than a musical and revel in the humor of a bygone day—and remember what television was like when the likes of Sid Caesar and his writing team ruled the airwaves.

London Suite

Theatre goers (or movie watchers) are probably familiar with Neil Simon's very popular and much performed hotel pieces--Plaza Suite and California Suite, each of which consists of a set of vignettes taking place in the same hotel room, following the lives of the current occupants of that room.

Less well known (and perhaps rightfully so) is the third in the trilogy, London Suite (written nearly 10 years after California Suite), currently running at the Winters Community Theatre. While filled with Simon's witty dialogue and comedic turns, London Suite does not seem to have the same sparkle as its predecessors.

Still, under the direction of Howard Hupe, the folks out in Winters have done a credible job of making this an enjoyable evening.

"London Suite" is a collection of four playlets set in the same suite of the Mayfair Hotel in London. Each story sets a different tone, from poignant to slapstick comedy.

The opening segment, "Settling Accounts" features Alex Selberth as Billy Fox, an agent, and Audrey Green as Briana, a writer who has just discovered that Fox has been taking advantage of her throughout her career. In the original version of this play, the author was a man. Giving the role to a woman is an interesting change of dynamic and Green carries it off well, though the piece itself is the weakest of the four.

"Going Home," casts Diane Taylor as Mrs. Semple, an attractive American widow shopping her way through London while her daughter Lauren (Kimberly Tuvfeson) attempts to play matchmaker. Semple is obviously an experienced actress who made the most of a role which is more a monologue for the mother than an actual dialog between mother and daughter. Taylor, last seen as the mother in last year's "Seeds," was balanced nicely by Tuvfeson.

"Diana and Sidney" brings back two characters from "California Suite." She's an aging Oscar-winning, yet insecure actress in London to promote her new hit television show, he's her ex-husband, a bisexual antique dealer, now living in Greece with his male partner. Germaine Hupe is marvelous as Diana, delivering some of the best lines of the evening, in her nervous pacing about the hotel room waiting for Sidney's arrival. Diana's travelling companion, Grace, is given a solid performance by Anita Ahuja. Michael Barbour's Sidney is likewise an excellent performance. He gives his character much depth as he relates his bittersweet tale. This segment is probably the most substantial of the four, as the couple remember old times and discuss the crisis which has brought Sidney to the hotel to speak with his former wife.

The final segment, "The Man on the Floor" features Ann Rost and Tom Rost as Annie and Mark, an American couple who have come to London to attend the games at Wimbeldon. Anita Ahuja makes a return appearance as Mrs. Sitgood, one of the hotel managers, Jim Hewlett is the Bellman, and Alex Selberth returns in the rols of Dr. McMerlin.

The segment is the evening's only slapstick segment about the events that occur when Mark's back goes out while frantically searching the room for the misplaced Wimbeldon tickets. It contains some of the evening's funniest lines and the performances by all of the actors is uniformly strong.

The set (quite reminiscent of last year's "Seeds," by this company) by Bob Taylor, Ken Brugaugh and Howard Hupe is a nice utilitarian hotel room.

"London Suite" is by no means the best of Neil Simon, but the evening has some funny moments that make it worth seeing. The members of the Winters Theatre Company are obviously dedicated to their craft and have a loyal following in the town. There are weak moments and strong moments, but overall, it is an enjoyable production and worth the trip out to Winters.

The show continues for one more weekend at the Winters Community Center, 201 Railroad Ave., Winters.