Review: MOON OVER BUFFALO at The Wimberley Players

George and Charlotte Hay want to make it big. Their theatre troupe is failing, their marriage is on the rocks, the troupe's ingénue is pregnant and their big break is coming at the most inopportune time. Leave it to Ken Ludwig's fast-paced farce, MOON OVER BUFFALO at The Wimberley Players to emphasize just how crazy life can get in a family of actors.

Director Jason Kruger was able to put together a cast of actors who could keep up with this fast paced farce and give them the freedom to give life to these zany characters. Larry Anderson put his all into the hamminess that is George Hay. His George was over the top and had some great comedic moments, especially in the second act when George is drunk out of his mind. Anderson's George is immensely physical which works well with the drunkenness of the character.

Elisabeth Steigelman's Charlotte is the epitome of what a diva from the 1950s is. She's sure of herself and haughty in all the best ways, while still maintaining that over controlling aspect of a wife and mother. Brandon Douglas brought an unparalleled physicality to the nervous weatherman Howard, doing shoulder rolls over furniture and literally quaking in his shoes. Lauren Erskine's Rosalind is clearly her mother's daughter, trying to maintain some sort of control on the hijinks happening around her. She was able to bring this energy into the play-within-a-play and really emphasize her frustration at her father's drunkenness.

The set design by Adam Witko was brilliantly done. Every inch of the set was packed to the brim with character, with one of my favorite parts being phone numbers and names smudged around the phone on the wall. It worked very well with the staging by Kruger and was able to keep up with the constant running around and going in and out of the five doors that made up the green room of the theatre.

Overall, MOON OVER BUFFALO at The Wimberley Players was a fun romp through the dramatics of a family of actors. I look forward to visiting the Wimberley Playhouse for the upcoming season.

MOON OVER BUFFALO by Ken Ludwig at The Wimberley Players is running from February 8th to March 3rd with Friday and Saturday shows at 7:30 and Sunday matinees at 2:30. Tickets are on sale through the box office (512)847-0575 or at www.wimberleyplayers.org. Tickets are $22 or $18 with a student ID.

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