Review: THE CAROL BURNETT SHOW at Gettysburg Community Theatre

Carol Burnett is best known for her comedy variety show The Carol Burnett Show, which aired on CBS from 1967 to 1978. The winner of multiple Emmy and Golden Globe Awards, The Carol Burnett Show was ground-breaking in that it demonstrated that a woman could do a successful variety show in an industry where variety shows were dominated by men. The popularity of The Carol Burnett Show has endured through the years. A series of her most popular sketches have been collected and are now available to be used for performances. The entire staff of The Carol Burnett Show donate the profits from the sale of these scripts to the Navajo Indian Children's Scholarship Trust. This series of ten sketches can be seen on stage and streaming at Gettysburg Community Theatre. Under the leadership of Director David Hulbert and Assistant Director Pamela Hulbert, Gettysburg Community Theatre's production of The Carol Burnett Show, performed by actors all over the age of 55, will have audiences experiencing nostalgia and plenty of laughs now through August 21.

This all-star cast of veteran actors includes Christina Ausherman, Mike Ausherman, Diane Chamless, Roger Darlymple, Lynn Dowling, Cookie Driscoll, Sue Fehringer, Virgil Gibson, Edward Gobrecht, Lauraday Kelley, Jacqueline Hughes Lee, Joan MacLean, Marilyn Miller, Mary Miner, Sue McCleaf Nespeca, Edward Riggs, Stephanie Roelker, Barbara Semiatin, Christopher Walsh, and Buff Wills. Throughout the show the actors take on a variety of characters as they move from sketch to sketch. Not only do they change characters deftly, but their set changes are well-orchestrated and swift, easily taking the audience from a front porch to an apartment to a car dealership in England.

While all of the sketches are delightful, there are a few performances that really stand out. "High School", featuring Cookie Driscoll, Sue McCleaf Nespeca, and Ed Riggs will take audiences back to those high school days, and, even more so, to those inevitably awkward times when they've run into old high school acquaintances years after high school. The actors in this sketch have perfect comedic timing, delivering zinger after zinger with lightning precision.

"Bonnie and Clod", a spoof on the story of Bonnie and Clyde, features Christina and Mike Ausherman, as they explore how things might have been if Clyde were Clod-a failed robber. The sketch itself is brilliantly written, and the Aushermans' performance is stellar. This short sketch is filled with a wide range of emotions, which the Aushermans deftly display through their facial expressions and voices.

"Rolls Royce", performed by Mike Ausherman, Lynn Dowling, and Virgil Gibson, is absolutely hilarious. Dowling and Gibson portray stereotypical American tourists trying to purchase a car from the stuffy, uptight British salesman played by Ausherman. The blocking in this sketch is particularly good as well, adding some physical comedy to the verbal comedy.

Lauraday Kelley, Marilyn Miller, and Stephanie Roelker bring on the laughs in "Coffee Commercial". Kelley and Roelker, portraying two friends having coffee, have a wonderful give and take as they trade verbal barbs. Miller is delightful as the advertising executive trying to make a commercial for the coffee shop. Hilarity ensues through the end of the sketch as their arguments get more and more out of hand, ending in a food fight.

There is something for everyone in this series of sketches from The Carol Burnett Show. While it will take older audiences on a nostalgic journey, younger audiences will enjoy the rapid-fire comedy. A show for audiences who enjoy sketch comedy, improv, and shows like Saturday Night Live, The Carol Burnett Show at Gettysburg Community Theatre will tickle the funny bone and give everyone a much-needed laugh. Visit gettysburgcommunitytheatre.org for information on tickets to live performances (August 13 and 14 at 7pm and August 15 at 2pm) as well as streaming performances (August 20 and 21) that can be enjoyed from the safety and comfort of your own living room.

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