“Life is …beautiful if you let it come to you,” J.D. Lloyd quotes Grandpa as saying in the program’s notes, “From the Director.”
The Justice Department is honing in on his grandson-in-law Ed (Boyd Morrison). This dork’s got no idea what his handouts say. They advocate violent overthrow of the government.
Grandpa’s granddaughter (Larisa Peters) has invited her fiancé’s (Mark Reinhardt) parents (Terrence Boyd, Janice Hastings) to her engagement dinner at home. Can you imagine? A Wall Street banker and a social butterfly in a fun house of screwballs?
Get the picture?
In a situation like this, what are you going to do?
Get real or put on the rose-colored glasses?
What makes this free for all work is Lloyd’s directing and a cast that gets to you. They have fun. You have fun.
Karen Jo Fairbrook’s flighty and likeable wins you over, like it or not. This mom-writer-painter who starts things and never finishes, drives you crazy having a good time.
Jared Nilsen as Kolenkhov raves like a madman about Stalin in Russia but rhapsodizes about his life in America. Nilsen is off the wall funny.
Donna Austin’s Soviet princess-turned waitress puts on airs baring her soul. Sarah Bernhardt had nothing on her. Austin emotes like Old Faithful.
This is light, bright fare coming at a time when we can sure use it.
“How can you relax at times like these?” Kolenkhov asks Grandpa.
“Well, if people relaxed there wouldn’t be times like these.”
Reactions? Comments? E-mail Dale Burrows entopinion@heraldnet.com or grayghost7@comcast.net.
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