Local Theater Laughs

 Time to venture out last Friday and catch some local theater. Onstage Bedford presented a one woman show Erma Bombeck: At Wit's End.  The authors, Margaret Engel and Allison Engel, had done another show I liked about the columnist Molly Ivins, so I had high hopes. And they did not disappoint. 

In ninety minutes, the actress (Judy Sizemore) gave us Erma - the housewife, the writer, the syndicated columnist, the book author, the feminist, the wife, the mom, the everybody's next door neighbor. The actress gave us the wit and  wisdom of Erma all while folding laundry, ironing, dealing with kids and husband, and answering the door to life insurance salesmen. 

Laugh out loud funny and also poignant too. This was a tight little production and kudos to Onstage Bedford. I was happy to "shop  local" and was entertained. My mom loved Erma Bombeck and I have too. She's one for the ages and this show, At Wit's End, does her justice. 

Local Theater - Lone Star Love Potion

Support your local theater.  I enjoyed a cheap Saturday night ($22) at Onstage Bedford. The group did Lone Star Love Potion - an adult farce.  It was corny, slapsticky farce and yet had enough twists and turns to keep me interested.  The actors worked hard and gave it their all. The small theater was sold out and I was five minutes from home.  What's not to like?

Who was scheming over whom?  Who was jumping into bed with whom? Property, a potion, a will...oh, there's trouble over land, and you can bet that multiple parties are involved.  The heiress, the butler, the neighbor, and the lawyer....all might have a hand in the game.

This was silly,  amusing fun. And I was out past 10 pm on a Saturday night......big time!!!

Show Time - Putting It Together

I'm always preaching to support local theater. Here's a reason why - just a really nice afternoon spent listening to Stephen Sondheim tunes from his various Broadway Shows. Onstage Bedford did a nice,  thoughtful production. This is the last weekend to see it.  Four of the five vocalists were quite decent. One young woman was a tad "pitchy" but that's being nit-picking. She gave it her all, as did the others in the show.

I found that hearing the Sondheim tunes in independent scenes,  rather than in his complete shows, I really heard the words and had some different interpretations. Maybe a tad deeper. His music is "tough" in my opinion. You don't come out humming like a Rogers & Hammerstein musical. Sondheim is darker - explores a lot of the human psyche.

Good show, no seat has a bad view, worthy sound,  and worth my twenty dollars!
Check out local talent in your area. These folks are working hard for your entertainment

Disaster! in Bedford

 Support your local theater. I am ashamed of myself. I go to Dallas and Fort Worth for various theater shows and musicals. But I've never been to Onstage Bedford in my own backyard. Well, Ray and I remedied this on Saturday July 8th. First dinner at La Bistro in Hurst - yummy Italian food. Then off to the show for what turned out to be quite a fun evening.

Disaster! is a musical based on every disaster film you can think of. It spoofs The Poseidon Adventure, Titanic, Towering Inferno, etc.  A variety of characters are attending a casino opening on a floating barge. Of course explosions ensue, an earthquake causes a tidal wave, there are piranha loose from the aquarium, and meanwhile the actors are singing and dancing away to an 80s soundtrack. The application of these song in times of dire disaster prove hysterical.

The actors give it there all and enthusiasm abounds. At times a teensy pitchy singing, but the end result was just an enjoyable time. The theater is quite nice -seats 100 people, so intimate. Sound, sets, and lighting, etc are all quite professional.  I will be back for more shows.

If Disaster! strikes your local theater, go check it out. You will survive!