43
TNT’s farce opens to full house
By LORRAINE WARDLE
NILES
Friday’s cold weather and unfortunate street conditions weren’t enough to keep the Trumbull New Theatre’s latest production from opening to a full house.
Loyal patrons and fans showed up in throngs to view TNT’s premiere of Pat Cook’s farce, “You Can’t Beat the House.”
“You Can’t Beat the House” is a ridiculous but funny play about two would-be burglars.
Merle and Howie break into a house only to discover it’s for sale.
Before they can leave, two prospective buyers, Glenda and Conrad, show up.
In order to explain their presence in the house, Merle and Howie pretend to be the real-estate agents.
Of course, the real real- estate agent eventually comes to show the house and informs Merle that the house is haunted.
This brings a flow of other oddball characters, including Glenda’s mother, Conrad’s secretary, an inept policeman and his mother, and finally, psychic Madame Zenobia.
After an evening of ridiculous antics, the characters all manage to leave the house in one piece.
A farce always is difficult to pull off, and director Ben Gavitt and cast obviously worked hard to stage this comedy.
Gavitt kept the play moving with quick stage direction and clever staging. The cast tried to keep up the pace, though at times they seemed to have lost the script.
Naturally, the more they perform for an audience, the smoother the production will be.
Gavitt has assembled a cast with various backgrounds and experience who work together nicely. Phil Cowen, playing Merle, stepped into the role after the original actor was forced to withdraw from the play.
Though he had the least amount of rehearsal time, Cowen seemed the most prepared, his lines flowing quickly and smoothly.
Cowen has a natural stage presence and carried the rest of the cast through any rough spots.
As Merle’s partner, Howie, Tom Schaffer was the perfect complement to Cowen. Schaffer’s Howie was a sweet, if somewhat dim, burglar with a heart of gold.
Sasha Lynn Neustadtl and Tom Cuthbertson played married couple Glenda and Conrad with a cute realism, constantly bickering and making up.
Chris Wineland added humor with his portrayal of Officer Larraby, a bumbling cop. As Madame Zenobia, Joy Cowen was appropriately over-the-top.
Hannah Gillespie shined, as always, in her featured role as ditzy secretary Brittany Marie. Gillespie is a natural character actor whose presence enhances any production.
The large ensemble cast worked well together to produce an entertaining, if absurd, show.
Friday’s opening night audience clearly loved the nonsense.
For a fun evening of local theater, you can’t beat this “House.”
“You Can’t Beat the House” continues at the Trumbull New Theatre on Friday and Saturday and Jan. 21 and 22 at 8 p.m. and Jan. 23 at 3 p.m. For reservations, call 330-652-1103.