EDMONDS — Two competitive Hollywood divas check into the luxurious Palm Beach Hotel Royale to sing for a USO show, sponsored by the hotel’s owner.
It’s 1942, and everyone is geared up for the war effort.
When the feuding stars stake claim to the presidential suite in the Royale, the hotel’s general manager and his bellhops are in for an afternoon of hell. Overblown egos, mistaken identities, double entendres — you know the drill.
“Suite Surrender,” the current comedy staged by the Edmonds Driftwood Players, is fast-paced and full of hilarious tension and easy laughs. Written by Michael McKeever, it’s the sort of farce that community theaters love to produce. Except that this production is a cut above standard community theater fare.
Reason No. 1: Cindy Giese French. Last seen as Berthe the maid in Driftwood’s top-notch production of “Boeing Boeing,” French has the elastic face of some of the greatest comedians of the World War II era, including Martha Raye and Red Skelton. She won a Broadway World award for her work as Berthe and is back as Claudia McFadden, one of the divas in the comedy.
French has a great alto voice and just as the audience settled into listening to her sing “Besame Mucho,” Claudia is interrupted by Mary Sabetto playing Mrs. Osgood, the hotel owner, who starts singing along.
French’s hilarious face and Sabetto’s comic oblivion match well.
Reason No. 2: Great ensemble work. Along with French and Sabetto, the cast includes Jennie Babcock as the daffy celebrity news reporter Dora del Rio, dressed in a mumu with pencils in her hair; Jason Bradford as the uptight Bernard Dunlap, the hotel manager; Melody Mislin, delightful as the other diva, Athena Sinclair; the capable Kate Wirth as Athena’s straight-woman secretary; and Greg Cochran, who has just about had it as Pippet, Claudia’s beleaguered secretary.
Wonderful, too, are Terry Boyd as the bellhop Otis and Ryan St. Martin as the bellboy Francis, who must scramble to swap out Claudia’s white roses with Athena’s photos and move luggage in and out of the room in order to keep the peace, keep the divas apart and keep the USO show on schedule.
Reason No. 3: Good direction, crew, set, props, lighting, sound and costumes. It’s obvious that director Dale Westergaard had his cast study the history of the USO, World War II, the entertainment culture of the time and what it is to be a great physical comedian.
So, you have three good reasons to go see “Suite Surrender” and give in to a fun evening of laughs.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com.
If you go
“Suite Surrender” continues at 8 p.m. June 17, 18, 23, 24, 25 and 2 p.m. June 19 and 26 at Wade James Theatre, 950 Main St., Edmonds. An ALS interpreted performance is set for June 18. Tickets are $25 for general admission or $22 for seniors, juniors and military. Seating begins about 25 minutes prior to curtain. Get tickets at www.edmondsdriftwoodplayers.org or 425-774-9600, option 1.
Next season
Tickets for Driftwood’s 2016-17 Mainstage Season also are available. The shows planned are:
“Wait Until Dark,” Sept. 16 to Oct. 2
“Mr. Scrooge,” Nov. 27 to Dec. 20
“Enchanted April,” Feb. 17 to March 5
“The Drowsy Chaperone,” a musical within a comedy, April 28 to May 14
“Lend Me a Tenor,” June 9 to 25, 2017.
For the first time, the 2016-17 main stage season will have reserved seating.
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