Review: THE PLAY THAT MUST GO ON - A FARGO TALK RADIO DISASTER at Harwood Prairie Players

Harwood Prairie Playhouse Presents: The Play That Must Go On - A Fargo Talk Radio Disaster.

One thing I have learned is that if I am attending a play written by David Lassig I will be laughing uncontrollably throughout the show. Tonight was no exception.

This production is a play within a play and tells the story of a group trying to put on a production of Fargo Talk Radio when the majority of the cast gets sick. When this happens they have to reply on the rest of the cast & crew to keep the show alive. As you can imagine, this leads to some memorable scenes, memorable characters and definitely some memorable lines.

David is so talented, and I will make it a point to check out any show that he writes. He is joined in directing duties by his wire Shanara.

This is a small cast of only 6, but between them they play so many characters I lost count.

First up we have the hilarious Jim Donat as Karl (with a K) filling in for Kathy (with a K). Karl is the co-host of the talk radio show with Cathy, played wonderfully by Dawn Thompson. These two work so well together on stage. Every one of their scenes together had me laughing out loud. From Cathy's inappropriate comments to Karl's Ole & Lina jokes, the whole audience will be laughing.

The other 4 performers come and go throughout the show, playing multiple characters, maybe even more than one at a a time. Mark Seeba as the handy man is so funny, from using power tools at the worst possible times to playing characters against his wishes.

Next up is Rick Mangahas and I think my favorite character of his was the church lady, complete with dress & wig. His facial expressions and stage presence were spot on.

Justin Watson as the sideline reporter was a perfect choice. The voice, the attitude and everything else was so much fun. Justin and Rick have some great scenes together.

Sara Ervin was beyond hilarious as the rival church lady. She also had some great scenes with Justin and her scene with Jim was another laugh out loud moment.

I don't want to give away specifics, so do yourself a favor and go see this show. It's playing one more weekend. March 24-26. You will laugh, you will laugh some more, and then you will laugh even more.

Such a talented cast and crew.

Www.prairieplayhouse.org

To post a comment, you must register and login.