May 12, 2011


What better for spring than a good old-fashioned rollicking romantic comedy to get the love juices flowing.

And while most of the bonking in this Sam Bobrick play consisted of unexpected knocks to the head of the amnesia-inducing kind, the play in its essence is a playful jaunt about love and marriage and the hoops some will go through to see their loved ones find it.

As the play opens, Sarah's crazy, meddling but lovable matchmaking Aunt Martha, is played full throttle by theatre veteran Roseanna Redmond. Martha wants nothing more than to see her niece married to a man named Brandon.

The fact that Sarah is a high-powered, happily single New York lawyer who wants nothing less than a man in her life, doesn’t seem to matter to Aunt Martha.

So, Martha hires Noogie Malloy (Paddy O’Connor in a role to which his skills in barely containing mayhem were particularly suited) to throttle Brandon as he leaves his office and deliver him to Sarah’s apartment.

This rather Neanderthal ploy, which needs to be repeated before taking full effect, sets up the love and hi-jinks that form the bulk of the action in the play at Sarah's apartment, where together the two romantic leads manage to untangle the mysterious web that brought them together.

As the play unfolds the two come to develop a very believable fondness for one another. This comes, of course, after some very funny slapstick moments involving crashing bowls of oatmeal, anaphylactic shock-inducing sandwich-sharing episodes and a number of misunderstood and emotional phone calls to and from crazy aunts and bossy fiancées.

The two leads successfully carry it off, easily convincing the audience of their growing fondness for one another, culminating up in a long embrace and final kiss in the last scene.

Angela Cowdy was confident and believable as Sarah, the high-powered New York lawyer. Sarah’s aversion to the very idea of marriage and emotional coldness gradually melts as she gets to know and love the soft spoken and charming Brandon.

NFLT newcomer Michel Alarcon was equally as convincing as the likeable, endearingly soul-searching but often confused Brandon, who after coming to terms with his amnesia also comes to realize that his bossy fiancée Heather is not the ideal woman for him.

Charlene Knight was perfect in the role of Heather, who ultimately ditches Brandon. In the end it is Sarah (tah hah) who wins over Brandon with her charms and instant oatmeal.

Also of note was the role of the tennis pro played on alternate nights by Craig Godfrey and Barry Harding, who each managed to keep a straight face while doing some funny things involving crazy Aunt Martha and tennis rackets.

The set was designed by Paddy O'Connor. It was a small New York apartment, and the original hanging artwork and a twinkling night skyline view from the window, both courtesy of Donna Laroque, gave it a very convincing feel.

Congratulations to first time NFLT director Kelli Bell, to all the actors and to the behind-the-scenes production team who once again successfully transformed the Sharbot Lake High School cafeteria for four days into a venue offering community theatre of the highest calibre.

 

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