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Monday, January 25, 2010
La Comedia gets ‘Revenge’ on country critic
Country music has never rung my bell. Just a few bars of “Achy Breaky Heart” are enough to give me an achy-shaky stomach.
So when I found out La Comedia Dinner Theatre was staging a show called Bubba’s Revenge, featuring several country music tunes, I shuddered a little at the prospect. And to top it all off, “Achy Breaky Heart” was in the show.
Still, La Comedia has a way of making subjects that aren’t normally to my liking appealing. They did it with High School Musical last year, and they’ve done it again with Bubba’s Revenge, which is ridiculously entertaining.
By ridiculously entertaining, I mean that the cast of this show is willing to go to almost any lengths for a laugh. I don’t want to give too many of the gags away, but suffice it to say some of the countrified shenanigans are positively shameless. Not every country show features a guy wearing a dress on stage.
The show is a sequel to Honky Tonk Angels, about three women who struck out on their own to realize their dreams of being country singers. In Bubba’s Revenge, the hand of fate plays a cruel trick on the trio, leading to the reopening of a bar called Honky Tonk Heaven that proudly serves O’Douls. Not to mention there’s also a seance that prompts the playing of the theme to Ghostbusters.
It’s that kind of show.
La Comedia’s shows almost always feature at least a few local faces, but Bubba’s Revenge has even more than usual. Leslie Jo Bissett of Carlisle directs the show and stars as Angela, one of the Honky Tonk Angels. Chris Beiser, who has directed many local shows over the years, has become a fixture at La Comedia, and in this show, he has the flamboyant, scene-stealing role of Little Jimmy Timmy, who often hogs the spootlight.
Tina Shatto plays Suellen Smith-Barney-Fife, another of the Angels, and she has directed shows for Middletown’s Summer Youth Theatre. Dustin Farris of Hamilton plays Cornell Crawford, Suellen’s beau, a retired professional wrestler prone to bursting into tears. Harold Skaggs of Carlisle plays the titular character, whose slovenly ways belie a fine stage presence. Rounding out the players is Jackie Snyder as the third Angel, Darlene, who spends most of her time, playing a ghost.
Yep - it’s that kind of show - but it’s a very funny one, and the performers are all in great voice - so much so that I didn’t even mind all that much when “Achy Breaky Heart” came on.
The show plays through Feb. 28. Here’s my feature story about it.
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