A farce with bite

Reincarnated as a vampire, a mother continues to haunt her son after her death.

By JORGE SANCHEZ

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 19, 2001

With Halloween approaching, goblins and ghouls are springing up everywhere, and a play about a vampire should provide some "Hallo-screams," as Gulf Islands Civic Theatre kicks off its 25th season of community theater tonight.

Gulf Islands, known for dinner theater, is presenting the play Blood Ties without a meal at the auditorium due to renovations at its usual venue, Andre's Restaurant. Dinner theater will resume there for the next play.

But Gulf Islands retains its affinity for theatric farce, in which highly improbably events and humorous characters are used for effect.

Blood Ties is a mother-son story. It's typical in some respects. Vera Goldstein (Fran Barg) is a manipulative and overbearing mother. She's also dead, somewhat to the relief of her son Jeremy (Larry Mitchell).

Chaos and comedy ensue when Vera comes back from the dead as a blood-sucking vampire. This is not the sort of news that Jeremy can just blurt out to his fiancee, Allison (Regina Ballard), or Maria the maid (Beth Snyder).

"It's a draining comedy," said veteran Gulf Islands director Joyce Reynolds. "But it's also using a vampire as a metaphor for how mothers can literally suck the life out of people."

Reynolds said the play is a comedy, but spiced with lots of special effects. The vampire appears in a puff of smoke and strobe lights. The stage is a contemporary apartment, but decorated mostly in shades of gray.

"The only color I use is red," Reynolds said. "There are lots of vampire motifs and metaphors. It's high comedy."

The play is in two acts.

A special performance in planned for Halloween night, where light refreshments will be served and people in costumes are welcome. The Halloween show has a student price of $7, and $5 for drama students.

At a glance

The comedy Blood Ties opens this weekend at the Citrus County Auditorium at the Citrus County Fairgrounds, U.S. 41 S, Inverness. Show time is 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 2 p.m. Sundays. Shows continue Oct. 26-28. A Special Halloween performance is at 7 p.m. Oct. 31, and the final weekend is Nov. 2-4. Tickets are $8 in advance at the Gulf Islands Civic Theatre box office, 777 N Enterprise Road, Lecanto. Call 527-9061.

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