Get ready for chaos, laughs, and 1950s glamour as Growl Theatre brings the riotous comedy Moon Over Buffalo to life on stage this month.
The play runs from 16 to 30 May, directed by Jason Sharland and Leisa Bye.
Jason said the playwright of Moon Over Buffalo was the renowned Ken Ludwig.
“Wherever his plays are set, he manages witty dialogue and clever timing,” Jason said. “Our first play at Windsor School of Arts in 2013 was a French farce which he’d updated, and since then we’ve been hooked. It’s been great getting stuck into the 50’s costuming and creating the ‘Erlanger Theatre’ in Buffalo, New York.”
Set in 1953, Moon Over Buffalo follows fading stars George and Charlotte Hay as they juggle two plays in Buffalo, New York, while their marriage teeters on the edge – complicated by George’s interest in a young actress. When legendary director Frank Capra shows up at their matinee, mayhem and ambition collide in a riotous scramble to win his favour.
Meet the Cast Bringing Moon Over Buffalo to Life
The cast features Marion Jones as Charlotte and Jeremy Wellwood as George, with Kiah Latham as their daughter Rosalind. Tim McQueen plays Howard, a nervous TV weatherman and Rosalind’s new fiancé, while Jake Vucenovic is Paul, an actor, stage manager, and Rosalind’s ex-fiancé. Rounding out the cast are Joanne Oliver as Ethel, Carolyn Mills as Eileen, and Charles Langford as Richard.
“Moon Over Buffalo is a five-door farce, and so the cast are rehearsing up a storm to ensure that the timing is as split-second as it needs to be,” Jason said. “Everyone is cued up on a word, a sound or a prearranged timing.”
As co-directors and longtime friends, Jason said he and Leisa shared a similar sense of how things should look and sound on stage.
“…we tend to finish each other’s thoughts a lot,” he said. “We’ve worked together a lot over the years, either onstage or as co-directors, so we find the sharing pretty straightforward.”
When asked about Moon Over Buffalo’s most exciting scene, Jason said, “No spoilers!”
“There are some pretty frenetic moments on stage where the action gets pretty crazy,” he said. “Without giving anything away, one of the funny moments is where a weatherman disguised as General Patton is mistaken for a killer.
“Growl Theatre loves to be able to push the realms of what you can do on stage for community theatre. Moon Over Buffalo is an ambitious, crazy comedy. We’re pretty confident you’ll leave feeling better than when you arrived.”
Moon Over Buffalo
- 16 – 30 May
- Growl Theatre (Windsor School of Arts)
- 381 Lutwyche Road, Windsor
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