Lots Of Laughs Foster'ed At NFLT's Latest

May 01, 2014

For their spring production, pressed with venue restrictions, the NFLT chose well with their pick of two short one-act comedies by Norm Foster, which were presented on April 25, 26 and 27.

The two plays, which called for small casts, simple costumes, and pared down sets, lighting and sound, were all cleverly adapted to the smaller stages of the Crossing Pub and Oso Hall where the three performances took place. The plot lines of the two plays were anything but simple and the players rose to the challenge, bringing lots of life and laughter to the three well-attended performances.

Real-life couple Kathy and Noel Bateman were both wholly believable and hilarious as Lacey and Miles in the first play "My Narrator". The plot tells of their attempts to surmount the usual and more unusual hurdles of dating. She, a struggling, well-mannered and earnest painter, and he a scruffy, poor-mannered but good hearted lay-about hoser, appear to be making headway in a new romance until the voices in their heads (their narrators) vie for the upper hand. First it is Lacy's narrator Barb, played to great comic effect by Andrea Dickinson who discourages Lacy's interest in Miles. The situation becomes even more complicated and hilarious as Miles acquires his own narrator Bob, played by John Stephen. The play uses the narrator premise to great comic effect with Lacy and Miles either vehemently opposing or coming under the spell of their individual narrators, who throughout the play stand behind them on a cleverly constructed two-tiered set. The plot becomes increasingly confused and comedic as narrators Barb and Bob begin to fall for one another.

Some of the highlights of this production included Lacy's unbridled disgust with Miles' choice of restaurant with its strange and sticky menus. Similarly Miles' fizzy beer scene appeared ingeniously ad-libbed with perfect comic effect by both Batemans who rose to the challenge and remained in character, making what might have been an awkward on-stage moment, a very hilarious one. Kathy was perfect as the earnest, sometimes sweet, but often shocked Lacy, and Noel was cast perfectly as the slovenly, oddly likeable good-hearted hoser Miles.

Similarly, Andrea and John as the narrators were given many chances to shine. One of their funniest scenes occurred when Bob was making passes at the normally headstrong and self-possessed Barb, who melts like a flower when Bob takes a shine to her. Similarly, the sudden appearance of the two, all flustered and flummoxed after a passionate behind-the-tier romantic tryst, was one of the play's funniest moments.

In the second play, "The Death of Me", Norm Foster proves that death can indeed be the springboard to many belly laughs. The play opens with the black-winged, heartless, sarcastic and very business-like Angel of Death, played masterfully by Ellie Steele, who brushes aside the bumbling confused concerns of a very ineffectual John Adderly, also perfectly cast and played by Craig Godfrey, who appears in her office out of the blue after suffering a deadly aortic aneurysm. After the angel coldly but clearly explains his unfortunate demise, Adderly begs for a chance to go back to earth to spare his mother the pain of finding his dead body. The angel eventually agrees but with one catch; that the saintly John tell off the fiancée who left him, in the angel’s words, “like a shovel at the altar”. In that meeting John's loud-mouthed, brash and bullying fiancée Cassie, played to great effect by Barb Matson, demonstrates her desperate inner loneliness in a quick turnaround that lasts just a short minute before she reverts to her usual self.

Next John meets with his doctor to find out why the doctor did not properly diagnose his deadly heart ailment at an earlier check up. Veteran NFLTer John Pariselli nailed the stereotypical accent, mannerisms and attitudes of a doctor who thinks more about cars, money and the quality of the table service he gets than the health of his patients. The kicker comes at the play’s end when everyone gets their just desserts: the Angel of Death welcomes the doctor to her office and John is granted a second chance at life.

Both plays were immensely enjoyed by the audience, who showed their appreciation by their laughter throughout the performances.