Theatrical Review: The Star Spangled Girl

THE STAR SPANGLED GIRL
Written by: Neil Simon
Directed by: Christopher Centrella*
Theatrical Review by: Paul Adam Smeltz

The Shawnee Playhouse* in Shawnee on the Delaware, PA presented their production of “The Star Spangled Girl” by a master of theatrical comedy Neil Simon. The play is about a struggling publisher of a political newspaper of the 1960‘s and his wildly eccentric roommate who happens to be his best (and only) writer. They meet a girl who recently moved into a neighboring apartment who was an Olympic Athletic and is now engaged to a member of the Marine Corp.

It is in this recipe the hilarity the best of Neil Simon plays are know for comes to life and this production serves its audience an abundance of laughter. The production moved wildly from one emotional state to another, but this is what makes the play funny. The plays humor derives from the situation and the characters experiencing them so far fetched the audience is reminded by them they are indeed watching a play. There is no real attempt to suspend their disbeliefs. Yet, there is still enough familiarity for the audience to relate to so they can recognize the play’s environment and build a relationship with it’s characters. This is why many in the theatrical world consider Neil Simon a mater playwright.

The small yet effective cast brought a new life to the characters which have been played over and over again even to the point where one of the early monologues is noted as being the most used monologues by students attempting to enroll in prestigious acting schools. Yet, the actors of this production kept the play a fresh theatrical experience for new comer and long established fans of the work alike. The Cast consisted of Tucker Haworth who portrayed Norman Cornell (a mix between Hunter S. Thompson and Toucan Sam) the wild maniac writer who discovers the girl next door and soon becomes obsessed by her scent, Kevin Dwyer* who portrayed Andy Hobart the publisher of the Magazine who is willing to do anything to assure the publication of its next issue, and Jenavene Hester who portrayed Sofie Rauschmeyer whose understanding of patriotism and her social obligations are called into question as she follows her nose.

However, as good as the overall production is, it is not without it’s flaws. There is a theatrical term among actors referred to as “Breaking Character.” This is when an actor steps out of the character he or she is portraying and become a member of the audience. This can be evident to the audience when the actor begins to laugh or smiles during the production in a manner not keeping in what the character would do in the given circumstances. It appeared Mr. Dwyer broken character several times throughout the performance. This comes as a surprise to this reviewer considering the caliber of his previous performances and the caliber of the production’s director who one would think would have been able to discover the error and corrected it early in its run.

It is this reviewer’s sincere hope this was merely an off night which all actors experience from time to time. It’s unfortunate, but it happens to the very best of actors and can be (on the most part) overlooked. However, if Mr. Dwyer’s Breaking of Character proves to be a regular occurrence, it’s hope this will be remedied by fine tuning the production thus enhancing its already impressive qualities as well with the otherwise equally impressive acting skills of Mr. Dwyer.

“The Star Spangled Girl” by Neil Simon was Directed by Christopher Centrella* and Stage Managed by Ashley Nieves while the Company‘s Stage Manager was Bob DelColle. The Technical Director and Lighting Designer was Jessica Sentak while The Light Board Operator was Teresa Shen. The Assistant Technical Director and Costumer was Evie Korovesis* while the Set Designer was Sean Warner. The Technical included Kyle Mahaney while props handled by Brian Krinsky. The Executive Director of The Shawnee Playhouse* is Midge McClosky* while the producers are Ginny and Charlie Kirkwood. Group Sales of their productions are handled by Mary Horn while The Shawnee Playhouse publicity is handled by Amy Cramer*. The Box office staff includes Kasey Mesko, Lillian Gonzales, Kristen Gehling, and Barbara Ross.

This production of “The Star Spangled Girl” by Neil Simon will continue its run at The Shawnee Playhouse* in Shawnee on the Delaware, PA until August 31st and is recommended for those who would like to experience an evening of classical comedy that‘s really funny. The next Shawnee Playhouse* in Shawnee on the Delaware, PA production will be “Morning‘s at Seven” to be performed September 26th - October 26th while their productions of “Nunsense” continues to be performed until August 31st and their Children Theatre production of “Peter Pan” continues to be performed until August 23rd. Those who enjoy the Passionate Art Lover level of membership in The Forwardian Arts Society are offered a $2.00 discount off the admission fee of The Shawnee Playhouse* Productions (excluding Children Theatrical Production). Please contact The Shawnee Playhouse* at 570-421-5093 for more information and to reserve your ticket.

(*) denotes members of The Forwardian Arts Society in good standing and are considered Our Good Friends.