Fond du Lac Community Theatre presented Ken Ludwig's comedy

with five performances on May 3, 4, & 5 and May 11 & 12, 2001 at 8:00 P.M. at the Goodrich High School Little Theatre.

    Synopsis:  George and Charlotte Hay have unwillingly come to the twilight of their theatrical careers in a quaint Buffalo theater.  Currently the company is performing "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "Private Lives" in repertory.  After learning that the famous Hollywood director, Frank Capra, is coming to give George one final shot at stardom, miscommunication ensues and the hilarity begins.  A romp through the thrill-a-minute lifestyle of the theatrical world.

    History:  "Moon Over Buffalo" enjoyed a long on run Broadway, where it starred Carol Burnett.  The trials and tribulations of the making of the play were chronicled in the documentary, "Moon Over Broadway."

Review written by John Silah

    This critique was published in our local newspaper on Friday, May 4, 2001 (The Fond du Lac Reporter, 5/4/01, p. A10.)

    About the critic:  John Silah reviewed films for five years as the co-host of the "Cableview" television series on Fond du Lac’s cable TV.  Since then, he has written six theatrical reviews for The Fond du Lac Reporter newspaper.  For eleven seasons, John worked as the Theater Manager and Technical Director at the Goodrich Little Theater, and presently serves as Fond du Lac Community Theatre’s Librarian and Webmaster.  Their Web site address is www.fdlct.com.

    "Moon Over Buffalo" is a farce ("an exaggerated comedy based on broadly humorous situations," Webster’s New World Dictionary.)  In the tradition of the great farces of the past, contemporary farces are full of misunderstandings, including mistaken identity, lots of entrances, lots of running around, and lots of exits, punctuated by lots of slamming doors.  It is spiced with slapstick, peppered with sarcasm, and these days salted with salty language.  As the mother/grandmother in the play, Ethel, puts it, "It’s like living in the asylum on the guard’s day off."

    It is physical comedy, which is grueling for the actors, and of course, verbal comedy as well.  For this kind of humor to "cook" requires a fast pace, and director Steve Hilbert, who also directed "Squabbles" in 1998 and "One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest" in 1999, does a fine job maintaining its frantic pacing.  The play was written by Ken Ludwig, who also wrote "Lend Me a Tenor," presented by Community Theatre as their spring play last year.  What the two plays have in common is that they are both about Performing Arts.  "Tenor" was about a local Opera group, while "Buffalo" is about a touring Theatre group.

    There are many such plays and musicals, as Theatre is a rich subject that Theatre people obviously know well.  The inevitable question is: how much of "Buffalo" reflects Community Theatre itself?  The answer lies in the definition of farce.  It is exaggerated.  In the case of our local group, very exaggerated.  Although it makes for some funny moments in "Buffalo," in real life our own theatre troupe is much more down-to-earth, with smaller egos and great generosity.

    In "Buffalo," egos are funny, as is show biz obsessiveness.  In one scene, Roz asks, "Don’t you ever think about anything but acting?"  "Sure," responds Paul, "Directing."  Mike Steffen, who is new to Fond du Lac and its Community Theatre, does a fine job in his debut as Paul, the company manager and Roz’ former boyfriend.

    Rosalind, played by Lori Garbisch, wants a normal life, which she defines as "something that doesn’t make me crazy."  Lori, who appeared last summer in "Shakespeare in the Street," deftly plays Roz as a droll counterpoint to the insanity around her.

    Ethel, played by Ann Yockey with her usual comic gusto, is Roz’ grandmother.  Ethel loves show biz. "Without it," Ethel says, "we would all be Republicans."

    The show is a good ensemble, and the cast exhibits good comic timing.  Contributing to the fun are Steve Wimmer as the star-struck Howard and real-life lawyer Jerry Donohue as "attorney to the stars" Richard.  Tana Laudolff invests some funny histrionics into her part as the ingénue, Eileen.  The cast is backed by an experienced backstage crew.

    If there were "stars" in this show, they would be George "Bud" Caldwell as George Hay, and Kathy Hilbert as his wife, Charlotte, the stars of their Repertory troupe.  Bud is a veteran of Fond du Lac Community Theatre, with forty shows under his belt, so he plays the hammy George with ease and credibility.  A consummate actor, Bud was featured in a recent cover article in the newspaper ("Actor on a Role," The Fond du Lac Reporter, 5/1/01, pp. A1 and A2.)

    Kathy, best remembered for her hilarious role as "Cookie" in 1992’s "Rumors," is a good match for George, going toe-to-toe, and sometimes sword-to-sword, with him.  George and Charlotte both exemplify the obsession with show biz.  "If you were caught in the spotlight of a runaway train," George tells Charlotte, "you’d break into a time step."

    Then George sums up his and Charlotte’s attitude, and perhaps the theme of the play, when he continues, "It’s a gift to be that reckless and insane.  There are people out there in the darkness who are living through you.  Dreaming of what they can be through your voice."

    You’ve got to hand it to a comedy that is both crazy and perceptive at the same time.  And to a local theatre troupe such as Fond du Lac’s that can pull it off.  Rehearsing for the past six weeks to perfect this lunacy, the "Buffalo" cast and crew must have felt as if they were "caught in the spotlight of a runaway train."  But the "time step" they break into is worth watching.

    "Moon over Buffalo" runs for two consecutive weekends, on May 3, 4, 5, 11 and 12, 2001 at the Goodrich Little Theatre.  Curtain is at 8:00 P.M.  Tickets are $6.00, $8.00 and $10.00 and are available at Wegner’s Office Department Store and at the door one hour before each performance.

Hilbert family has major role in play

    The Hay family; George, Charlotte, Ethel and Roz; have real life counterparts with the Hilbert family in Fond du Lac Community Theatre’s "Moon over Buffalo."  Five Hilberts are involved in the play.  Kathy Hilbert plays Charlotte Hay, while behind the scenes her son, Steve Hilbert is the Director, Gene Hilbert is one of the Set Designers, Brian Hilbert is the Set Coordinator and Stacey Hilbert serves on the Stage Crew.

    "Moon Over Buffalo" is the third and last show of Fond du Lac Community Theatre’s current season, 2000 – 2001.  It may also turn out to be the last Community Theatre show presented at the Goodrich Little Theater, at least for the next couple of years.  Next year, the Spring and Fall shows will likely be presented at the new Prairie Theatre at The University of Wisconsin – Fond du Lac, and the Winter show will probably be presented at the new Fond du Lac High School Theater currently under construction.

    Next year, for the 2001 – 2002 season, Fond du Lac Community Theatre has three more shows planned.  First, the Fall show will be a comedy, "A Bad Year for Tomatoes," written by John Patrick, to be directed by Jan Stoegbauer.  Second, the Winter show will be the musical, "Cole," featuring the music of the great Cole Porter.  It will be directed by Ward Trastek, assisted by John Newman.  Third, the Spring show will be the dramatic play from John Steinbeck’s classic novel, "Of Mice and Men," to be directed by Todd Whittaker.

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