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Moon Over Buffalo preview

Ken Ludwig’s Moon Over Buffalo is a brilliant backstage comedy

Raleigh Little Theatre will present Moon Over Buffalo, a brilliant backstage comedy by Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor), on its Cantey V. Sutton Stage Oct. 7-23. Long-time RLT artistic director Haskell Fitz-Simons will direct the show.

According to RLT:

“It’s 1953 and George and Charlotte Hay [Greg Flowers and Jenny Anglum] -- think Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne ... or, perhaps, the Barrymores -- are playing rep in [the old Erlanger Theater in] Buffalo ... BUFFALO!!! If you speak the lingo, you know that’s very, very far from Broadway (but at least they’re not doing commercials). George and Charlotte carry on despite the small audiences and their inappropriate roles as young lovers in two classic shows.

“Their motley company and crew are touring [French dramatist Edmund] Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac and [British playwright] Noël Coward’s Private Lives. Cyrano is a late-1800s romantic sword fighting play with a huge cast (George and Charlotte have cut it back to a cast of five, thereby losing most of the point of the play). Private Lives is a British drawing-room comedy from the 1930s, fortunately having very few roles. Their egos dictate that George and Charlotte will play the too-young roles of Coward’s Elyot and Amanda, and Rostand’s Cyrano and Roxanne.

“Theory and reality are shown to be two very different things when both plays are staged the same day with hysterical results. Their daughter Roz [Collette Rutherford] -- a darn fine young actress by the way -- has had it with the hand-to-mouth existence and is marrying a safe and solvent young man [Jaret Preston as a buttoned-down Buffalo weatherman named Howard]. Paul [Damien Taylor], the company’s young manager, wishes she weren’t (you see where this subplot is going).

“We meet this theatrical family when the supporting actor has just walked out, the ingénue [Lois Triplett] is headed to the doctor’s for a pregnancy test, the payroll is two weeks overdue, and there’s a matinee in an hour. It would all seem like just another humdrum day in the theater if it weren’t for an unexpected phone call from their New York agent.

“[Moon Over Buffalo] is told with typical twists, turns, collisions, mistaken identities, ridiculous miscommunications, slapstick antics, some terrifying swordplay, and a stage set with six doors. Add to all that an eccentric, near-deaf mother-in-law [Joyce Weiser], a couple of love triangles [one involving Charlotte Hay and a smooth-talking entertainment attorney named Richard (Jim Sullivan)], an overly square weatherman, and a chance at stardom if famous Hollywood Director, Frank Capra, comes to see the play and chooses George and Charlotte for Hollywood roles in his upcoming epic.”

In addition to director Haskell Fitz-Simons, the RLT production team includes scenic designer Roger Bridges, lighting designer Rick Young, costume designer Vicki Olson, props mistress Amy Flynn, and stage manager Becca Easley.

Moon Over Buffalo made its Broadway debut on Oct. 1, 1995 at the Martin Beck Theatre, with veteran character actor Philip Bosco and celebrated television comedienne Carol Burnett playing George and Charlotte Hay. The show closed on June 30, 1996, after 309 performances. It earned 1996 Tony Award® nominations for Bosco and Burnett as Best Actor and Best Actress in a Play.

Moon Over Broadway, a 1997 documentary directed by Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker (The War Room), provides a hilarious behind-the-scenes look as playwright Ken Ludwig, director Tom Moore, producers Rocco Landesman and Elizabeth Williams, and stars Philip Bosco and Carol Burnett struggle to make this comedy about a low-rent Lunt and Fontaine into a Broadway hit.

In Entertainment Weekly, Owen Gleiberman reported, “It’s rare to see a fly-on-the-wall documentary that’s as much fun as Moon Over Broadway.” Len Klady of Variety claimed that this choice documentary “chronicles the guts, grind and glory of the [creative] process. [It is a] valentine to the contemporary commercial stage.… Pennebaker, a lion of cinema verité, and Hegedus do an exemplary job. [Moon Over Broadway gives its viewers a] front-row-center seat for an enjoyable romp on the boards.”

Raleigh Little Theatre presents Moon Over Buffalo Friday-Saturday, Oct. 7-8, at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 9, at 3 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 13-15 and 20-22, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Oct. 16 and 23, at 3 p.m. on the Cantey V. Sutton Stage, 301 Pogue St., Raleigh, North Carolina. $15-$21 ($12 students and seniors Thursday and Sunday), except $10 all seats Oct. 9th. 919/821-3111 or click here. Note 1: All performances are wheelchair accessible, and assistive listening devices are available for all performances. Note 2: The Oct. 9th performance will be American-sign-language interpreted and audio described. Raleigh Little Theatre: http://www.raleighlittletheatre.org/buffalo.htm. Internet Broadway Database: http://www.ibdb.com/show.asp?ID=6216. Ken Ludwig: http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=7069 and http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0525024/. Moon Over Broadway: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0125412/ and http://www.artlic.com/films/moon.html.

WHAT: The Triangle Theater Review is a FREE weekly e-mail theatrical newsletter, featuring previews and reviews by Robert W. McDowell and reviews by Scott Ross, Alan R. Hall, and others. (For brief bios of our contributors, see http://www.cvnc.org/about/critics-bios.html.) John Lambert and Classical Voice of North Carolina reprint our previews, reviews, theater calendar, and theater and film links online at http://www.cvnc.org/. The Triangle Theater Review previews and reviews are now listed under “Performance Reviews” on the CVNC home page. (Just click on the show title for the preview, which will be followed on the web page by the review.) For a comprehensive list of Triangle “Theatre Openings,” see http://www.cvnc.org/calendar/openings.html. For our extensive list of “Theater and Film Links,” go to http://www.cvnc.org/links/theatre.html. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? E-mail RobertM748@aol.com.

DONATIONS: If you value the comprehensive, in-depth local theater coverage that the Triangle Theater Review provides, please use your credit card to donate online via PayPal: http://www.cvnc.org/support/index.html; or mail a generous check today to Classical Voice of North Carolina, 3305 Ruffin Street, Raleigh, NC 27607-4025. Because CVNC is a 501(c)(3) organization, all financial contributions are tax-deductible. Be sure to indicate that you want to support continued online publication of the Triangle Theater Review.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE: E-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type SUBSCRIBE TRIANGLE THEATER REVIEW in the Subject: line. To have your name removed from our mailing list, e-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type UNSUBSCRIBE TRIANGLE THEATER REVIEW in the Subject: line.

COPYRIGHT: Editorial content and all formats © 2005 CVNC and the respective authors. Reproduction in any form without authorization of Classical Voice of North Carolina and the respective authors is prohibited. CVNC will maintain an archive of standard previews and reviews from past issues for at least a year, at http://cvnc.org/reviews/archives.html. To request copies of web articles from 2004 and earlier, e-mail cvnc1@earthlink.net.


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Moon Over Buffalo preview

Ken Ludwig’s Moon Over Buffalo is a brilliant backstage comedy

Raleigh Little Theatre will present Moon Over Buffalo, a brilliant backstage comedy by Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor), on its Cantey V. Sutton Stage Oct. 7-23. Long-time RLT artistic director Haskell Fitz-Simons will direct the show.

According to RLT:

“It’s 1953 and George and Charlotte Hay [Greg Flowers and Jenny Anglum] -- think Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne ... or, perhaps, the Barrymores -- are playing rep in [the old Erlanger Theater in] Buffalo ... BUFFALO!!! If you speak the lingo, you know that’s very, very far from Broadway (but at least they’re not doing commercials). George and Charlotte carry on despite the small audiences and their inappropriate roles as young lovers in two classic shows.

“Their motley company and crew are touring [French dramatist Edmund] Rostand’s Cyrano de Bergerac and [British playwright] Noël Coward’s Private Lives. Cyrano is a late-1800s romantic sword fighting play with a huge cast (George and Charlotte have cut it back to a cast of five, thereby losing most of the point of the play). Private Lives is a British drawing-room comedy from the 1930s, fortunately having very few roles. Their egos dictate that George and Charlotte will play the too-young roles of Coward’s Elyot and Amanda, and Rostand’s Cyrano and Roxanne.

“Theory and reality are shown to be two very different things when both plays are staged the same day with hysterical results. Their daughter Roz [Collette Rutherford] -- a darn fine young actress by the way -- has had it with the hand-to-mouth existence and is marrying a safe and solvent young man [Jaret Preston as a buttoned-down Buffalo weatherman named Howard]. Paul [Damien Taylor], the company’s young manager, wishes she weren’t (you see where this subplot is going).

“We meet this theatrical family when the supporting actor has just walked out, the ingénue [Lois Triplett] is headed to the doctor’s for a pregnancy test, the payroll is two weeks overdue, and there’s a matinee in an hour. It would all seem like just another humdrum day in the theater if it weren’t for an unexpected phone call from their New York agent.

“[Moon Over Buffalo] is told with typical twists, turns, collisions, mistaken identities, ridiculous miscommunications, slapstick antics, some terrifying swordplay, and a stage set with six doors. Add to all that an eccentric, near-deaf mother-in-law [Joyce Weiser], a couple of love triangles [one involving Charlotte Hay and a smooth-talking entertainment attorney named Richard (Jim Sullivan)], an overly square weatherman, and a chance at stardom if famous Hollywood Director, Frank Capra, comes to see the play and chooses George and Charlotte for Hollywood roles in his upcoming epic.”

In addition to director Haskell Fitz-Simons, the RLT production team includes scenic designer Roger Bridges, lighting designer Rick Young, costume designer Vicki Olson, props mistress Amy Flynn, and stage manager Becca Easley.

Moon Over Buffalo made its Broadway debut on Oct. 1, 1995 at the Martin Beck Theatre, with veteran character actor Philip Bosco and celebrated television comedienne Carol Burnett playing George and Charlotte Hay. The show closed on June 30, 1996, after 309 performances. It earned 1996 Tony Award® nominations for Bosco and Burnett as Best Actor and Best Actress in a Play.

Moon Over Broadway, a 1997 documentary directed by Chris Hegedus and D.A. Pennebaker (The War Room), provides a hilarious behind-the-scenes look as playwright Ken Ludwig, director Tom Moore, producers Rocco Landesman and Elizabeth Williams, and stars Philip Bosco and Carol Burnett struggle to make this comedy about a low-rent Lunt and Fontaine into a Broadway hit.

In Entertainment Weekly, Owen Gleiberman reported, “It’s rare to see a fly-on-the-wall documentary that’s as much fun as Moon Over Broadway.” Len Klady of Variety claimed that this choice documentary “chronicles the guts, grind and glory of the [creative] process. [It is a] valentine to the contemporary commercial stage.… Pennebaker, a lion of cinema verité, and Hegedus do an exemplary job. [Moon Over Broadway gives its viewers a] front-row-center seat for an enjoyable romp on the boards.”

Raleigh Little Theatre presents Moon Over Buffalo Friday-Saturday, Oct. 7-8, at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 9, at 3 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday, Oct. 13-15 and 20-22, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Oct. 16 and 23, at 3 p.m. on the Cantey V. Sutton Stage, 301 Pogue St., Raleigh, North Carolina. $15-$21 ($12 students and seniors Thursday and Sunday), except $10 all seats Oct. 9th. 919/821-3111 or click here. Note 1: All performances are wheelchair accessible, and assistive listening devices are available for all performances. Note 2: The Oct. 9th performance will be American-sign-language interpreted and audio described. Raleigh Little Theatre: http://www.raleighlittletheatre.org/buffalo.htm. Internet Broadway Database: http://www.ibdb.com/show.asp?ID=6216. Ken Ludwig: http://www.ibdb.com/person.asp?ID=7069 and http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0525024/. Moon Over Broadway: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0125412/ and http://www.artlic.com/films/moon.html.

WHAT: The Triangle Theater Review is a FREE weekly e-mail theatrical newsletter, featuring previews and reviews by Robert W. McDowell and reviews by Scott Ross, Alan R. Hall, and others. (For brief bios of our contributors, see http://www.cvnc.org/about/critics-bios.html.) John Lambert and Classical Voice of North Carolina reprint our previews, reviews, theater calendar, and theater and film links online at http://www.cvnc.org/. The Triangle Theater Review previews and reviews are now listed under “Performance Reviews” on the CVNC home page. (Just click on the show title for the preview, which will be followed on the web page by the review.) For a comprehensive list of Triangle “Theatre Openings,” see http://www.cvnc.org/calendar/openings.html. For our extensive list of “Theater and Film Links,” go to http://www.cvnc.org/links/theatre.html. QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? E-mail RobertM748@aol.com.

DONATIONS: If you value the comprehensive, in-depth local theater coverage that the Triangle Theater Review provides, please use your credit card to donate online via PayPal: http://www.cvnc.org/support/index.html; or mail a generous check today to Classical Voice of North Carolina, 3305 Ruffin Street, Raleigh, NC 27607-4025. Because CVNC is a 501(c)(3) organization, all financial contributions are tax-deductible. Be sure to indicate that you want to support continued online publication of the Triangle Theater Review.

HOW TO SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE: E-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type SUBSCRIBE TRIANGLE THEATER REVIEW in the Subject: line. To have your name removed from our mailing list, e-mail RobertM748@aol.com and type UNSUBSCRIBE TRIANGLE THEATER REVIEW in the Subject: line.

COPYRIGHT: Editorial content and all formats © 2005 CVNC and the respective authors. Reproduction in any form without authorization of Classical Voice of North Carolina and the respective authors is prohibited. CVNC will maintain an archive of standard previews and reviews from past issues for at least a year, at http://cvnc.org/reviews/archives.html. To request copies of web articles from 2004 and earlier, e-mail cvnc1@earthlink.net.

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