THE
REAL INSPECTOR HOUND & BLACK COMEDY
Reviewed
by Tony Annicone
The
current shows at City Nights Dinner Theatre are two, British, one act
plays,
"The Real Inspector Hound" by Tom Stoppard and "Black
Comedy" by Peter
Schaffer.
The first is a cerebral farce about two feuding critics who end up
as
part of the play onstage as everyone tries to figure out who is who and
what
is real and what is fantasy. The second takes place in a poor,
womanizing
artist's apartment during a blackout with the lights on during it
so
you can see the comic situations happening onstage. Director Lee Rush
blocks
her eight performers wonderfully on the huge two story set, leading to
a
fine display of acting in each farce by the entire ensemble.
Lee
keeps the action of the shows flowing to keep your interest with the
constant
entering and exiting through the doors, the stairs and a trapdoor.
The
pace never lets up in each show. Lee is also a talented actress, proving
she
has a fine handle on the comic aspects of each of her characters. She
casts
each role perfectly.
Tom
Stoppard's piece is his revenge on theatre critics and is a mystery story
while
"Black Comedy" is an easy to follow farce. The first critic is a
pompous
boor who is a second stringer while the other critic is a
philandeering
husband with his eye on each pretty girl on the stage. Derek
LaMonte
plays the first critic, Moon as well as Miller, the poor artist in
the
second show while Richard Wilber plays Birdboot in the first and the
strict
father, Colonel Melkett in the second. Both of them do an excellent
job
with their enormous roles in both shows, displaying their talents by
playing
two different type characters in these farces.
The
rest of the cast play two roles, too. The lady loves of the womanizing
artist
in "Black Comedy" are played by Kami Crary as Carol Melkett and Becca
Lewis
as Clea. They also respectively play the tennis playing Felicity
and
Lady
Cynthia in the first show. Both of them are adept comediennes and handle
the
British accent with ease. The character roles are played by Heather
Carey,
as the pirate maid and matronly neighbor and Paul Oliver as the
preening,
conceited young lover and the very gay artist. They both do great
turns
with their comic roles in both farces, eliciting much laughter from the
crowd.
The final two actors are Matthew Schultz and Daniel Sulger. Matt plays
a
Colonel Sanders lookalike and a German handyman while Dan plays a policeman
and
a deaf art critic. They also show their talent in their diverse roles and
their
German accents are hilarious. (Dan just took over his role and plays it
like
he's been in it from the beginning of rehearsals.) Due to the many
twists
and turns of the scripts, I can't give out what happens. Suffice it to
say,
you will have to figure it out for yourself.( The dead body is played by
Armand
Decosta in his first time on stage.)
The
before the show dinner is prepared by Brian Condron, whose food is always
delicious.
This time is the main course consisted of Chicken Marengo,
boneless
breast of chicken simmered in a bordeaux wine sauce with mushrooms,
white
onions, tomatoes and herbs, and Hawaiian Ham, tender ham slices with a
pineapple
glaze.
They are served with rice pilaf with red and green peppers, sauteed
fresh
vegetables, a garden salad, rolls and assorted pastries for dessert
with
your choice of tea or coffee.
So
for a mouth watering feast plus two British farces that will tickle your
funny
bone, be sure to catch these two shows before it's too late.
THE
REAL INSPECTOR HOUND & BLACK COMEDY( till 29 June)
City Nights Dinner Theatre
27 Exchange Street, PAWTUCKET, RHODE ISLAND
1 (401) 723-6060