Review: CACTUS FLOWER at New Theatre Restaurant

Overland Park KS (May 3, 2026) The air at New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park is thick with the scent of high-end buffet favorites and the electric hum of a sold-out crowd. The curtain has risen on a revival of the 1960s Broadway classic Cactus Flower, and if the opening week's standing ovations are any indication, Kansas City has another bona fide hit on its hands.

A Tangle of Hilarious Deception

For those unfamiliar with this Abe Burrows’ witty romantic farce, the plot is as prickly as its namesake plant.  Burrows is the libretto writer for such well performed Broadway shows as “Guys and Dolls,” “How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” and “Can-Can” among others.  Burrows enjoyed a long career as a writer on radio, on Broadway, as a script doctor, librettist, director, and as a panel member on many 1950s and 1960s celebrity quiz programs.  

“Cactus Flower” is Burrows’ 1965 bedroom comedy about a charming, but deceptive New York playboy dentist, his ultra efficient but closed off nurse/ office manager, and the dentist’s much younger girlfriend.

“Cactus Flower” is reliably and expertly directed by New Theatre Restaurant co-owner Dennis D. Hennessy.  Hennessey, with his business partner Richard Carrothers, are the founders of this theatrical feast. This version of New Theatre opened in 1992. Both Hennessey and Carrothers have produced in New York, London, and Los Angeles in addition to a predecessor dinner theater to New Theatre.   

“Cactus Flower” has endured because of its clockwork structure: a philandering dentist, a loyal nurse, a fictitious wife, and a lie that metastasizes into chaos. The New Theatre’s production leans into this heritage without apology. There is little attempt to modernize the material; instead, the direction embraces its mid-century rhythms, allowing humor to arise from character interplay rather than topical reinvention.

Dr. Julian Winston (played with authoritative charm by John Rensenhouse) is a successful Park Avenue dentist who has crafted a complex web of lies to avoid commitment. He tells his young, idealistic mistress, Toni Simmons (Erin Burniston), that he is a married man with three children.

T

he comedy kicks into high gear when Julian finally decides he wants to marry Toni for real. Toni, possessed of a "guilty virtue," refuses to break up a home without first meeting the soon-to-be-ex-wife to ensure the divorce is mutual. Desperate, Julian enlists his starchy, nurse-receptionist, Stephanie Dickinson (Marilu Henner), to pose as the fictitious Mrs. Winston.

Audiences will remember Ms. Henner as the sexy and always witty star from the sparkling television situation comedy “Taxi” that ran on ABC from 1978 – 1982.  “Taxi” had a remarkable cast in addition to Ms. Henner.  It featured Judd Hirsch, Danny De Vito, Christopher Lloyd, Tony Danza, Jeff Conaway, and Andy Kaufman.  

The Star Power

The casting for this production is inspired.  Henner brings a masterclass in comic timing to the role of Stephanie.

Watching her transition from a "band-aid" personality in a stiff white uniform to a vibrant, alluring "cactus flower" is the production's greatest joy. Her performance anchors the show, reminding us why she has remained a staple of American comedy for decades.

Somehow, Ms. Henner has retained her statuesque figure and spot-on comic timing over her long career.  She slides into this cast and this role like it was written just for her.  

The supporting cast provides a sturdy foundation for the farce:

• John Rensenhouse plays the philandering dentist with the perfect balance of rugged handsomeness and frantic desperation.
• Erin Burniston makes a delightful New Theatre debut as Toni, capturing the "kooky ingénue" spirit popularized by Goldie Hawn in the 1969 film for which Ms. Hawn earned an Academy Award.
• Jacob Jackson, steps in as the understudy for Igor. Jacob has already earned rave reviews from early audiences for his energy and unexpected dancing prowess. Mr. Jackson gives a leading performance and unless told, the audience would never know he is an understudy.
• Fan favorites Craig Benton and Cathy Barnett return in supporting roles, providing the reliable laughs that season ticket holders have come to expect.
• Audiences are treated to the performance of the remarkable Victor Raider-Wexler as the lecherous Argentinian diplomat Sr. Sanchez.  Victor never fails to elicit giggles as he repeatedly hits on Nuse Dickenson.
• Rounding out this cast are Alyssa Byers as Botticelli’s Springtime, and Ross Hellwig in several smaller roles.   

Technically, New Theatre excels.

Four sets are solidly built on a huge full stage turntable by Set Designer Scott Heineman. Heineman first designed for New Theatre in 2002.  Toni’s apartment, Dr. Winston’s office, Toni’s record store, and a tucked away sleazy nightclub rotate smoothly and alternatively as the scene’s change. Each set retains the 1965 pallet and design that characterizes its swinging 60s time-period.  Yes, there was a time when you could test drive music vinyl records in a private booth in a store. 

I’m sure there is a nearby telephone booth with a pay telephone and local telephone books that list everyone’s home addresses.  Phone booths were important in 1960s America.  How else could you find a particular store before Google?  Where else would Superman change costumes? A pay telephone took coins to connect telephone calls.

While some critics of the play itself argue the 1960s premise "creaks with age," this production breathes fresh life into it through high-energy performances and a stylized set that transports the audience back to a groovier era of New York skylines and mod fashion.

Atmosphere and Dining

Part of the magic of this Overland Park institution is the "dinner" in dinner theater. The venue, recently remodeled for a more modern feel, continues to run like a "well-oiled machine". The buffet offers a wide range of options, including tender-glazed carrots and a variety of meats, though dessert and specialty drinks remain an extra-albeit worthwhile-cost.

Importantly, the service is choreographed with near-theatrical precision. Courses arrive promptly, tables are cleared efficiently, and by curtain time the room has transitioned from restaurant to auditorium with minimal disruption.

Final Verdict

If you are looking for a night of pure escapism paired with 5-star hospitality, Cactus Flower is a must see. It is a breezy, warm production that understands its own comic structure and delivers a steady supply of laughs.

This Cactus Flower does not attempt to reinvent the bloom—it cultivates it carefully, presenting the comedy in a form that is accessible, well-paced, and warmly received.

Curtain speech

Charmingly, Ms. Henner delivers the traditional, New Theatre curtain speech.  She seems a genuinely sincere, warm person.  Ms. Henner is a Chicago native. She attended the University of Chicago.  Her early experience includes a part in the original Chicago, Broadway, and road tour casts of “Grease” with both Richard Gere and John Travolta. 

Ms. Henner has had a remarkable resume and a long-lasting career as a working actor.  She has an incredible list of achievements in theatre, film and television.  She mentioned that she has performed in over 31 Hallmark channel movies alone.

She is blessed (or cursed) with one of fewer than one hundred known cases of hyperthymesia. Ms. Henner can remember every day of her life from the time she was eleven.  It is an ability she demonstrates with audience members during her curtain speech.

Presented with any significant date in any audience member’s life, Ms. Henner can immediately recall what day of the week it was and what was going on in her life and in the world on that date.       

Performance Schedule:

• Dates: Now playing through June 28, 2026.
• Location: New Theatre & Restaurant, 9229 Foster St, Overland Park, KS.
• Tickets: Available at NewTheatre.com or by telephone at 913-649-7469.

The audience—many of whom are seasoned patrons of the venue—responds warmly to the play’s recognizable beats. Laughter builds not in bursts of surprise, but in waves of anticipation fulfilled.

New Theatre Restaurant has recently been identified by USA Today as the number one theater of its type in the United States.

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