Players prep for comedy
Published 12:53 am Sunday, April 3, 2011
The Way Off Broadway Players’ latest offering poses a pressing question in its title: “Whose Wives Are They Anyway?”
To find out whose “wives” they are, and what they’re up to, you’ll have to visit The Theatre in the old Sears Building on Belhaven’s Pamlico Street.
This comedy runs at 8 p.m. April 7 through April 9 in The Theatre.
For reservations or more information on the show, call 252-943-3796.
“It is very fast-paced,” director George Wahab said of the show. “There are lots of quick entrances and exits. One man has to pretend to be a woman and audiences always like that. It’s set in a hotel at a golf resort.”
The show, a licensed piece written by professional playwright Michael Parker, reminds Wahab of “Fawlty Towers,” the 1970s British television comedy that starred actor John Cleese.
The play takes place in America, but was written by an Englishman, Wahab pointed out.
“He was obviously familiar with Fawlty Towers,” the director said, indicating some of the play’s situations, especially those concerning a frazzled hotelier, echo the beleaguered Basil Fawlty.
“This play revolves around two businessmen who take the weekend to play golf while their wives go shopping in New York,” reads a synopsis provided by Wahab. “They unexpectedly meet their new boss, whom they have never seen before. The boss hates it when men golf without their wives. The guys have to come up with two wives fast.”
The cast includes Lloyd Ballance as John Baker, Dean Armstrong as David McGachen, Kate Anderson as Tina, Hollis Brooks as Mr. Carlson, Aaron Stevens as Wilson, Zack Stevens as D.L. Hutchison and Maggie Anderson as Karly McGachen.
The “prompters” – crew members who “feed” the actors lines as needed – are Tyler Armstrong and Hannah Byrd.
Wahab’s wife, Mary Wahab, takes on the role of Laura Baker, a weepy, put-upon spouse.
“She’s not very forceful,” she said of her character. “She cries at the drop of a hat. I spend most of the play crying. My husband is played by Lloyd Ballance. He’s the one that’s going to be dressed up like a woman.”
Mary Wahab added she likes “playing bizarre characters,” and agreed the audience seems to like that, too.
“We do quite a few of this guy’s plays, and they’re always a lot of fun for the audience,” she concluded, speaking of Parker’s scripts. “Our playgoers particularly like it. They like clever wordplay, they like misunderstandings, they like running in and out, which we do a lot of.”
The players perform solely in Belhaven and produce three plays a year, all of them comedies.
Though tickets aren’t required for these shows, the admission cost still applies and reservations are recommended to ensure enough seating is available.