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‘Drinking Habits’ amuses audience, despite opening-night hiccups
By Eric McCrea
The Salem Community Theatre always makes room for farce in its season, and it’s not shy about religious humor. Its latest production, Tom Smith’s “Drinking Habits,” hits both of those marks.
A choppy opening night had its share of hiccups, but a grandiose script with some very workable characters managed to amuse the audience.
The story focuses on a small, struggling convent of grape-growing nuns that’s near closing. With their grape-juice business teetering, the teetotaling Mother Superior, played by Karen E. Hauck Losito, is pressed to keep the doors open.
Unbeknownst to her, Sister Augusta and Sister Philamena (Lynne Peterson and Carly Ellis, respectively) have been producing wine, which resurrected the convent’s bottling revenue. The popularity of their “Beelzebub’s brew” attracts the attention of headline-hungry journalist Sally, played by Katherine Skaggs.
Sally disguises herself as a nun, hoping to get the scoop on the order, which dominoes into a parade of mistaken identities. Absurd plot twists, frantic action and zany dialogue carry the story to an over-the-top, yet satisfying, ending.
Skaggs gave an enthusiastic performance, and her character was a linchpin to the confusing circumstances. She provided just the right amount of conflict to get things underway, and then jumped on board.
Robin Charles Dean played Sally’s colleague Paul, who was a bit of a fish out of water. While Dean was quite animated and ostentatious, his character is basically a normal guy, stuck in a farce, pulled into wacky situations, making him very relatable.
Hauck Losito gave Mother Superior a perfect bland of stress and paranoia as she roped Paul into some outrageous attire. Ezekial Ellis provided his Father Chenille with matching suspicion and a consuming obsession.
Carly Ellis showed a talent for levels with the honest Sister Philamena, who breaks under the pressure of having to lie. Rachel Andrews did a fine job as Sister Mary Katherine, a novice struggling with honesty in her own way.
Mark Kholos added his unique charm to the cast, and Peterson kept things interesting with her somewhat bossy Sister.
Cast members had issues with their lines on opening night, with some noticeable dropped cues. The pace never quite got to where it needed to be, but they kept the energy from completely falling flat.
The script is packed with complexity, but it has a few holes. The play eventually explains why Mother Superior is so opposed to alcohol, despite the church’s history of sacramental wine production its prominence in Communion. The ending is packed with a lot of information, some of which felt far-fetched, even for a farce.
One fun plot device left room for a silent-movie scene that gave director Jake Kinser a chance to have fun with music, but the silence between scenes and during intermission was conspicuous. Scene changes were simple, which made the curtain use seem indulgent, when blackouts would have probably worked fine.
“Drinking Habits” can be seen Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and today and next Sunday at 2 p.m. For reservations, call 330-332-9688.