Review: DRINKING HABITS at Murry's Dinner Playhouse in Little Rock

Murry’s Dinner Playhouse in Little Rock is pouring on the comedy with Tom Smith’s DRINKING HABITS, running through October 10. Directed by Roger M. Eaves, with Keylan Alderson serving as Stage Manager, this fast-moving farce mixes nuns, wine, reporters, romance, mistaken identities and plenty of secrets into an evening of escalating chaos. I laughed from beginning to end.

At the Sisters of Perpetual Sewing, Sister Philamena (Sarah Nichols) and Sister Augusta (Brianna East) have been secretly making wine to help keep their convent financially afloat—all without Mother Superior (Natalie Canerday) knowing. Reporters Paul (Dakota Mansfield) and Sally (Cozy Cozart) arrive to investigate rumors that the sisters are secretly producing wine, hoping to uncover the truth behind the mysterious operation. Father Chenille (Roger M. Eaves) has his own shenanigans going on trying to keep the convent from being closed, enlists Groundskeeper George (Adrian Hinojosa), and for an extra added mix into the story, Sister Mary Catherine (Chloe Clement) has secrets of her own. Does the convent get to stay open after everything is exposed? Come to the show to find out.

 This whole ensemble had me laughing all the way through. Farce depends heavily on timing and chemistry, and this cast commits completely to every misunderstanding and increasingly ridiculous situation. No matter who is at the center of the chaos, somebody else is waiting with a reaction that makes the moment even funnier.

Sarah Nichols as Sister Philamena and Brianna East as Sister Augusta are at the center of the convent’s biggest secret, and the two work so well together, especially when they are scheming about their wine operation. I loved watching them put their heads together as they tried to stay one step ahead of Mother Superior. Nichols and East have an easy comedic chemistry that makes Philamena and Augusta feel like longtime partners in crime—or perhaps partners in wine. The more complicated their secret becomes, the more fun it is watching them try to keep everything under control.

 And then there is Natalie Canerday as Mother Superior. Canerday is a Little Rock treasure, and I swear she has 101 reactive faces that she pulls out throughout this play. Sometimes I found myself watching her even when someone else was speaking just to see what her face was going to do next. A raised eyebrow, a suspicious stare, a look of complete disbelief—Canerday can get a laugh without saying a word. As Mother Superior’s supposedly orderly convent descends into chaos, those reactions just keep coming.

Dakota Mansfield’s Paul is one half of the reporting team looking for the scoop on the rumored wine production, and Mansfield does exasperation so well. As Paul gets pulled deeper into a situation that becomes more complicated by the minute, you can practically watch his patience being tested in real time, and watching his different costume changes had us guessing who is was supposed to be next.

 This is only the second time I’ve seen Cozy Cozart take the stage, and she is rapidly becoming one of my favorite comedic actresses. As Sally, Cozart throws herself completely into the character. The way she embraces her characters pulls me into whatever she is selling, no matter how ridiculous the situation becomes. 

Adrian Hinojosa brings plenty of physical humor to the story as George. Hinojosa uses his whole body to sell the comedy, and sometimes his body language gets the laugh before he even says a word. I especially enjoyed his scenes with Chloe Clement as Sister Mary Catherine. Clement and Hinojosa make such a cute duo with those innocent, lovey-dovey eyes they give each other. There is something sweet about watching the two look at one another while complete madness unfolds around them, and their budding romance adds an adorable layer to the farcical chaos.

Roger M. Eaves pulls double duty as director and Father Chenille, and the good Father brings on more laughs the more he drinks. Eaves lets each drink loosen Father Chenille up a little more, and watching this man of the cloth become increasingly affected by the very wine causing so much trouble at the convent is hilarious. 

 Of course, at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, I’m not going to talk about the show without talking about the food!

The buffet for DRINKING HABITS is loaded with choices. The main dishes include Tuscany chicken, sweet and sour pork, cod in lemon cream sauce and pesto pasta primavera. There are mashed potatoes, Great Northern beans, broccoli rice casserole, squash casserole and green beans, along with cold selections including broccoli slaw, beets, peaches, broccoli, tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives and a cheese and relish tray.

Everything I tried was tasty, and this is one of those buffets where I start wondering if they will give me a bigger plate. There are enough choices to sample a little bit of everything and still somehow convince yourself that you have left room for dessert.

And you definitely want to leave room for dessert.

The dessert table features bread pudding, carrot cake, cobbler, Oreo fluff, brownies, cinnamon sugar churros, lemon bars and strawberry mousse. You already know how I feel about Murry’s carrot cake, so when I see it sitting on that dessert table, there really isn’t much of a decision to make. Carrot cake wins my heart again.

As always, I love chatting with my friends there. Matt Mentgen takes good care of us and talking shop with Leigh Anne Ralston is always fun. I feel at home at Murry's, and the staff are in my heart. 

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