 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Sex! Love! Taxes!
By BARBARA L. FREDRICKSEN, Times Staff Writer It has been almost five years since the Show Palace Dinner Theatre put on its only nonmusical, Neil Simon's Barefoot in the Park. The show went over well, but even so, the Show Palace went with an all-musicals, all-the-time format. Audiences have loved the big, splashy shows, but many still have asked owners Nick and Sal Sessa to think about doing a comedy or two for a change of pace. "We decided to give this a try, do something different, and see how it goes," Nick Sessa said. The owners chose William Van Zandt and Jane Milmore's farce, Love, Sex and the I.R.S., to open the summer season. They brought back actor/director and 35-year theater veteran Michael Edwards (Pseudolus in the recent A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum) to direct the show. "I directed this show once before, in Nashville," Edwards said. "It's lots of gags, laughs and ridiculous situations. That's what farce is." In it, two out-of-work musicians, Jon (Joe Lawrence, Miles Gloriosis in Funny/Forum, George in La Cage aux Folles) and Leslie (Matthew McGee, Hysterium in Funny/Forum, Mr. Snow in Carousel), get into trouble with the IRS when Jon tries to save a few bucks by taking advantage of his roommate's either-gender name and lists him as his wife on a joint tax return. IRS agent Floyd Spinner (Bobb James, Governor in Man of La Mancha) turns up to investigate, and the fun begins. "Farce is logical people put in illogical situations because they make decisions without taking time to think," Edwards said. The logical thing would have Jon's fiancee Kate (Lisa Rinaldi, Panacea in Funny/Forum) impersonate Leslie, but that would kill the plot. Instead, Leslie dresses up like a wife, which might work, except Jon's mother, Vivian (Mary Lucy Bivins), shows up to plan a wedding for Jon and Kate. To complicate matters, Leslie is having a secret fling with Kate, and Leslie's ex-girlfriend Connie (Andi Sperduti, dancer in Funny/Forum and La Mancha) shows up to see why he hasn't called her lately, which throws everything into complete chaos. "It's been around for years and years, and people love it," Edwards said. "It's an hour and a half of a panic situation, exhausting but a lot of fun." Rounding out the cast are Joseph Parra as the grumpy landlord, Jansen, and Joe Camper as the casual visitor, Grunion. With two weeks before opening, the show has already sold nearly 4,000 tickets. "That's a pretty good start, a good response," Sessa said. At a glanceWHAT: Love, Sex and the I.R.S., a comedy WHERE: Show Palace Dinner Theatre, 16128 U.S. 19, Hudson WHEN: May 17-June 30. Performances are at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, 1:30 p.m. May 18 and 23 and June 15 and 22, and 3 p.m. Sundays. TICKETS: Dinner and show, $37.50; show only, $24.95, plus tax. Children 12 and younger, $19.95 and $14.95. Call (727) 863-7949 in west Pasco; toll free 1-888-655-7469 elsewhere.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • St. Petersburg Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From today's Pasco Times Accusation of abandonment is just not true If Finn wants respect, he should show some |
