Review: PLAY ON! at Hanover Little Theatre

Rick Abbot’s Play On! was first produced in 1980. This hilarious show invites the audience to experience some of the behind the scenes work that goes into preparing a show as a group of community theatre actors, director, stage manager, technical director, and playwright try to get everything done with opening night of “Murder Most Foul” looming closer and closer. In this madcap comedy, everything that can go wrong does go wrong—from the playwright demanding changes to the script to wardrobe malfunctions to line and blocking mistakes to the sound cues getting erased. Anyone who has been involved in community theatre will recognize the truth behind the chaos—that community theatre is, at its heart, a labor of love for a group of volunteers all striving to do their best. And that with live theatre, anything can happen. Hanover Little Theatre presents Play On! under the direction of Mathew Barninger with stage manager Morgan Fleeger, assistant stage manager Stephanie McCartney, and producers Carmela Champ and Joan Crooks through March 29th.

The lights (designed by Bob McCleary and operated by Geoffrey Baker), sound (operated by Jonathan Carbaugh), set (designed by Mathew Barninger, constructed by Mathew Barninger, Jonathan Carbaugh, Anthony Diaz, Joseph Donohue, and the McCartneys, and painted by Mathew Barninger, Jonathan Carbaugh, Carmela Champ, Anthony Diaz, April Diaz, Joseph Donohue, Linda Fink, Nicole Merkle, Greg Trax, and the Fleegers), props, and costumes are delightful and offer the audience a realistic sense of what things look like and sound like during rehearsal versus the final product on opening night (when things sometimes still can and do go wrong).

The cast features Greg Trax as Henry Benish/Lord Dudley, Linda Fink as Polly Benish/Lady Margaret, April Diaz as Marla “Smitty” Smith/Doris, Christina Munn as Violet Imbry/Diana Lassiter, Zachary Willging as Billy Carewe/Stephen Sellers, Joshua Rikas as Saul Watson/Dr. Forbes, Joseph Donohue as stage manager Algie Manville, Nancy Wege as technical director Louise Peary, Nicole Merkel as Geraldine “Gerry” Dunbar, and Heather Stoll as playwright Phyllis Montague. Trax and Fink are believable as married couple Henry and Polly, and their synchronized blocking and gestures are performed with hilarious seriousness and precision as their characters try to come across as the consummate professionals they believe themselves to be. Their interactions with one another are sweet as they continuously try to support one another.

Diaz is adorable as Smitty, the youngest member of their cast. Her facial expressions speak volumes as her character tries to deal with studying for tests while at rehearsal and constantly worrying about her conservative mother’s reactions to late nights and the content of the play. Munn and Willging work well together as Violet and Billy, the cast members who find their on-stage romance crossing into real life. Munn has fantastic comedic timing, elevating the hilarity of each scene with seeming ease. Willging’s Billy really comes to life in the final act in his entertaining interactions with both Munn’s Violet (playing Diana) and Rikas’s Saul (playing Dr. Forbes). Rikas gives one of this reviewer’s favorite performances of the evening as Saul, the company’s resident comedian, or so he thinks. His line delivery is spot-on throughout the performance as both Saul and Saul playing Dr. Forbes. His physical comedy prowess is highlighted beautifully in the final act as his character becomes progressively more inebriated throughout the opening night run of “Murder Most Foul”.

Donohue, Wege, Merkel, and Stoll have tremendous chemistry on stage as the creative team of “Murder Most Foul”. Donohue’s Algie is straightforward, realistic, steady, and dedicated. The perfect calm in the storm to balance out Louise’s snark, Gerry’s tendency to try to appease everyone, and Phyllis’s creative whims. Wege, while she claims to be more comfortable backstage in real life, is perfect in the role of Louise. Her sarcastic tone allows the audience to feel Louise’s emotions even on lines delivered from off-stage. Hopefully Wege will venture onto the stage occasionally in the future because her performance was outstanding.

Merkel has excellent stage presence, which is key for the role of Gerry. As the director of “Murder Most Foul”, most of Gerry’s blocking and lines are performed from the auditorium in front of the stage, meaning that part of the audience often sees only her back. Merkel’s presence and ability to infuse emotion into her lines, posture, and gestures means that even when the audience cannot see her face, they can easily understand how the character is feeling. Stoll’s performance as Phyllis, the playwright who simply cannot help changing the script every few days, is stellar. It is the perfect example of how a smaller role can be performed in a way that breathes new energy into a scene. Every time the audience hears Phyllis announce her arrival, they cannot wait to see what will happen next. For days this reviewer will be picturing Stoll’s frantic exits from the audience to the backstage every time Phyllis suddenly remembers she’s needed backstage.

The entire cast and creative team of Hanover Little Theatre’s Play On! deserve wild applause for this production. It is relatable and hilarious. For an evening of side-splitting laughter, visit hanoverlittletheatre.com for your tickets to Play On!