Time to talk ... Cathy Barnett as Karen and David Fritts as Gabe in ‘Dinner With Friends,’ playing at the H&R Block City Stage Theater through Sept. 2.
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Actors Theatre's Dinner with Friends top-notch
BY: Russ Simmons, Theater Reviewer
Although the Actors Theatre of Kansas City is still a fledgling organization, it can once again boast of having the best show in town.
“Dinner With Friends,” Donald Margulies' Pulitzer Prize-winning “dramedy” of marital relations, has received thoughtful and meticulous treatment by a solid team of pros at ATKC.
Director Dennis Hennessy, best known for his work with New Theatre Restaurant, skillfully steers his spot-on cast in Margulies' witty and thought-provoking examination of how infidelity affects two marriages.
Dave Fritts and Cathy Barnett portray Gabe and Karen, a golden couple living the American dream in suburban Connecticut. Their longtime best friends are Beth and Tom (Melinda McCrary and Mark Robbins), a couple they had introduced to one another a dozen years earlier.
In a shock that hits Gabe and Karen like a lightning bolt, Beth announces that Tom is leaving her for another woman. This news incites a series of confessional conversations between these four “close” friends that reveal how little they actually know about one another. This revelation causes Gabe and Karen to question most of their assumptions about life.
While all of this may sound depressing, it's actually intriguing and often very funny.
The actors make the most of their meaty roles. Barnett, who is best known for her sharp comic timing, shows dramatic depth here while Fritts expertly demonstrates how much can be conveyed with a pause or a glance.
This “Dinner” expertly serves up some uncomfortable truth as its main course.
“Dinner With Friends” runs through Sept. 2 at the H&R Block City Stage Theater in Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Road, Kansas City, Mo. For information, call (816) 235-6222.
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
When your intrepid critic first saw the classic French film “La Cage aux Folles,” the dialogue was completely obscured by audience laughter. Thankfully, it was subtitled.
The 1978 comedy remains one of the most successful foreign films of all time. In 1983, it became a hit Broadway musical with an award-winning score from veteran songsmith Jerry Herman (“Hello, Dolly,” “Mame”).
The musical version of this door-slamming farce is the current production at The Unicorn Theatre. Ron Magee, the former proprietor and frequent star of shows at Late Night Theatre, takes the lead role of Albin, a renowned drag queen at the titular San Tropez nightclub.
Albin's longtime beau, Georges (Jim Korinke), is the club owner whose life is complicated when his son, Jean-Michel (Brandon Sollenberger), announces his engagement. Problem is, his fiancée is the daughter of a conservative French politician who wants to shut down gay clubs.
So, to appease the potential in-laws, Georges and Albin must pretend to be straight when the politico and his wife come for dinner.
Director Jeff Church and his crack production staff have mounted a zippy, compact version of the show, one that allows Magee some leverage to do a bit of his patented ad libbing ... an occasional distraction. While his singing is less than stellar, he manages to sell the songs and effectively mine the material for its laugh potential.
Korinke's solid performance helps keep things grounded in reality and Christopher Barksdale is a scream as a swishy butler who demands to be considered the maid.
“La Cage aux Folles” is a bawdy romp that will make grandma blush, but its heartfelt sentimentality might be enough to win her over.
“La Cage aux Folles” runs through Sept. 23 at the Unicorn Theatre, 3828 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. For information, call (816) 531-PLAY.
THEATER NOTES
Numerous, diverse theatrical conventions come together for the latest presentation by The Barn Players. “The Long Christmas Ride Home” is Paula Vogel's edgy and introspective drama about a car ride after a disastrous family reunion dinner. It's part of the company's “Barn Alternative Series.”
The show runs through Aug. 26 at The Barn Players Theatre, 6219 Martway, Mission. For information, call 432-9100.
Tara Lane Productions is currently presenting the new drama “Broken Strings” at the Just Off Broadway Theatre, 3051 Central in Penn Valley Park, Kansas City, Mo.
The play by Bill Rogers deals with a wounded outlaw who takes refuge at a farm on the Kansas/Missouri border just after the Civil War.
The production runs through Sept. 2. Call (816) 784-5020.
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“Dinner With Friends,” Donald Margulies' Pulitzer Prize-winning “dramedy” of marital relations, has received thoughtful and meticulous treatment by a solid team of pros at ATKC.
Director Dennis Hennessy, best known for his work with New Theatre Restaurant, skillfully steers his spot-on cast in Margulies' witty and thought-provoking examination of how infidelity affects two marriages.
Dave Fritts and Cathy Barnett portray Gabe and Karen, a golden couple living the American dream in suburban Connecticut. Their longtime best friends are Beth and Tom (Melinda McCrary and Mark Robbins), a couple they had introduced to one another a dozen years earlier.
In a shock that hits Gabe and Karen like a lightning bolt, Beth announces that Tom is leaving her for another woman. This news incites a series of confessional conversations between these four “close” friends that reveal how little they actually know about one another. This revelation causes Gabe and Karen to question most of their assumptions about life.
While all of this may sound depressing, it's actually intriguing and often very funny.
The actors make the most of their meaty roles. Barnett, who is best known for her sharp comic timing, shows dramatic depth here while Fritts expertly demonstrates how much can be conveyed with a pause or a glance.
This “Dinner” expertly serves up some uncomfortable truth as its main course.
“Dinner With Friends” runs through Sept. 2 at the H&R Block City Stage Theater in Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Road, Kansas City, Mo. For information, call (816) 235-6222.
LA CAGE AUX FOLLES
When your intrepid critic first saw the classic French film “La Cage aux Folles,” the dialogue was completely obscured by audience laughter. Thankfully, it was subtitled.
The 1978 comedy remains one of the most successful foreign films of all time. In 1983, it became a hit Broadway musical with an award-winning score from veteran songsmith Jerry Herman (“Hello, Dolly,” “Mame”).
The musical version of this door-slamming farce is the current production at The Unicorn Theatre. Ron Magee, the former proprietor and frequent star of shows at Late Night Theatre, takes the lead role of Albin, a renowned drag queen at the titular San Tropez nightclub.
Albin's longtime beau, Georges (Jim Korinke), is the club owner whose life is complicated when his son, Jean-Michel (Brandon Sollenberger), announces his engagement. Problem is, his fiancée is the daughter of a conservative French politician who wants to shut down gay clubs.
So, to appease the potential in-laws, Georges and Albin must pretend to be straight when the politico and his wife come for dinner.
Director Jeff Church and his crack production staff have mounted a zippy, compact version of the show, one that allows Magee some leverage to do a bit of his patented ad libbing ... an occasional distraction. While his singing is less than stellar, he manages to sell the songs and effectively mine the material for its laugh potential.
Korinke's solid performance helps keep things grounded in reality and Christopher Barksdale is a scream as a swishy butler who demands to be considered the maid.
“La Cage aux Folles” is a bawdy romp that will make grandma blush, but its heartfelt sentimentality might be enough to win her over.
“La Cage aux Folles” runs through Sept. 23 at the Unicorn Theatre, 3828 Main St., Kansas City, Mo. For information, call (816) 531-PLAY.
THEATER NOTES
Numerous, diverse theatrical conventions come together for the latest presentation by The Barn Players. “The Long Christmas Ride Home” is Paula Vogel's edgy and introspective drama about a car ride after a disastrous family reunion dinner. It's part of the company's “Barn Alternative Series.”
The show runs through Aug. 26 at The Barn Players Theatre, 6219 Martway, Mission. For information, call 432-9100.
Tara Lane Productions is currently presenting the new drama “Broken Strings” at the Just Off Broadway Theatre, 3051 Central in Penn Valley Park, Kansas City, Mo.
The play by Bill Rogers deals with a wounded outlaw who takes refuge at a farm on the Kansas/Missouri border just after the Civil War.
The production runs through Sept. 2. Call (816) 784-5020.