WHEN BULLFROGS SING OPERA - TRN Review

WHEN BULLFROGS SING OPERA - Excellent Review!
Current mood: happy

Crowd-pleaser
Cast brings 'Bullfrogs' characters alive
By Lana Sweeten-Shults
Sunday, June 8, 2008

 You'll be as happy as a tick on a pig to know that Backdoor Theatre's latest production, "When Bullfrogs Sing Opera," should be celebrated (like another amphibian we know — that one being from Calaveras County).

The Carl Williams-penned play is about as crowd-pleasing as they come. The witty Williams has a way of creating memorable, effervescent characters, he's savvy when it comes to dialogue, and he has a pitch-perfect sense of where exactly to put a funny line.

This Backdoor Theatre cast, led by director Linda Frischer, breathes life into the easy-to-embrace characters that Williams has put on the page. Talk about brilliant ensemble work and excellent casting.

The play, which just wrapped up the opening weekend of a three-weekend run, follows social-climber Millicent Westlake (Stephanie Willis-Koontz) on her way to the top of the social ladder.

She has invited the socialite-among-socialites, Frances Kupperman (Jeri Sharp), and her husband Andrew (Larry Sharp) and daughter Stephanie (Brianna Harmon), over to her New York penthouse to try to persuade Frances to let her vice-chair a charitable function.

Millicent and her husband, Brian (Henry Petrosian), are all set to impress when she gets a letter from her sister, Coreen (Gail Fuller), from back in her hometown of Bullfrog Waller. Coreen is going to stop by for a visit, which is something Millicent doesn't exactly want right now, considering Coreen is about as country bumpkin as they come.

Of course, what Millicent is praying won't happen, does.

Coreen shows up right before the Kuppermans and now Millicent, embarrassed by her down-home upbringing, has to find a way to explain her sister. So she tells the Kuppermans that Coreen is actually an actress and that she's rehearsing for a role on the London stage. She'll be playing, of course, a country bumpkin.

Also part of the evening is the Westlakes' know-it-all son, Patrick (Billy Koontz), who is home from college and told to "be nice" to Stephanie, who is a little too nice to him.

"When Bullfrogs Sing Opera" is the perfect play for an enjoyable evening out on the town, with no deep drama or moral quagmires to puzzle over.

Backdoor Theatre veteran Gail Fuller steals the show as Bullfrog Waller resident Coreen. Fuller's best quality as an actress is that she's always so easy-going and natural onstage. She makes everything look so easy, and the audience feels right at ease with her, which is the quality that best suits Coreen.

Of course, much of the charm of her character lies in Williams' dialogue. He gives her plenty of country-isms to recite.

The rest of the Backdoor cast is just as likable. Petrosian, as Brian Westlake, gets some of the best one-liners. Willis-Koontz is the perfect choice as Millicent. She has a kind of refinement about her, a calm-and-collected deportment that suits her character. Billy Koontz and Brianna Harmon are just cute together, and Larry and Jeri Sharp as the high-society Kuppermans balance out the cast.

Although Saturday night's show had a few little bumps — like a missed line or two — it's nothing that takes anything away from this sweet, enjoyable Williams comedy that, as Coreen would say, will definitely make you as happy as a tick on a pig.

Arts and entertainment editor Lana Sweeten-Shults can be reached at (940) 720-3462 or by e-mail at ShultsL(at)TimesRecordNews.com.

Don't miss it

What: "When Bullfrogs Sing Opera"

Where: Dinner stage of Backdoor Theatre, 501 Indiana, downtown

When: June 12-14 and June 19-21. Show times are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday nights and 8 p.m. all other nights. Dinner is served an hour before show time.

Tickets: $27 for the dinner and show and $15 for the show only

Information: (940) 322-5000