BWW Reviews: THE SILVER WHISTLE at Cumberland County Playhouse

Old-fashioned and sweetly sentimental, The Silver Whistle is a gentle theatrical comedy about a group of downtrodden senior citizens during the Great Depression who are yearning to find something to lift them out of their own collective doldrums and allow them to once again be vital, productive human beings. Luckily, for this particular group of seniors - all of whom live in the "old people's home" of the Church of John in some unnamed American city - their ho-hum existence is upended by the unexpected arrival of Oliver T. Erwenter, a fast-talking, silver-tongued huckster, who may have discovered the Fountain of Youth.

Now onstage at Cumberland County Playhouse (running through April 15) in a sprightly production directed by Playhouse producing artistic director Jim Crabtree (whose father Paul Crabtree, CCP's founder, was in the play's original Broadway cast and who first directed the play in Crossville in 1965), The Silver Whistle is a nostalgic reminder of the kind of domestic comedies that theater audiences flocked to in the first half of the 20^th Century. The comedy is genuinely engaging, the story is somewhat intriguing and the characters are affectionately crafted, but it is rather dated and even a little sedate, particularly in comparison with the grittier and more graphic Contemporary Stage comedies we're accustomed to seeing.

However, The Silver Whistle does have a heartfelt and resolute message to deliver: You are as young as you feel and everyone, regardless of age, is young at heart, eager to live, laugh and love. And that message is always relevant, whatever the play's vintage.

The Playhouse's production of the play (its fourth since 1965) is lovingly and beautifully appointed, featuring Martha Hill's lovely set design, Sam Hahn's evocative lighting design and Renee G. Luttrell's period-perfect costume design.

Robert McEnroe's script, which shows the seniors' dreary lives at the home - ruled over by the church's Reverend Daniel Watson (Greg Pendzick, despite his immense charm and matinee idol good looks, is all prickly officiousness as the man of the cloth) and overseen by the kind-hearted Miss Tripp (the always appealing Lauren Marshall), who may indeed hold the key to unlocking the vault where the good reverend's heart is held for safekeeping.

The coterie of older folks who are sentenced to a dreary life at the home are played by a mix of Playhouse professionals and volunteers. Weslie Webster, usually cast in the glamorous and sexy roles, plays a tart-tongued septuagenarian named Mrs. Hanmer, who is convinced that her life would be better if only she could have her appendix removed. Carol Irvin, as raucously funny as ever, gives a fine turn as Miss Hoadley, a tippling spinster who can't hear so well, but knows how to hide her whiskey, even when she can't hold it. They are joined onstage by Skip Britton as Mr. Beebe and Bob Ochsenrider as Mr. Cherry, with Judy Murphy and Teri Ritter alternating as the flirtatious Mrs. Sampler, and Jeni Marin and Mary Ann Pawlak sharing the role of Mrs. Gross.

Jason Ross, who plays the crafty conman/interloper who upsets the residents' apple cart, once again displays his ample charm and his amazingly adroit skills as he completely captivates the old folks at home and his adoring audience - all at the same time. The forty-something Ross plays Erwenter, who claims to be 77-years-old and to have found the key to lifelong youthfulness, providing the necessary conflict that propels the play along its gently amusing way. Erwenter is aided and abetted in his not-so-bad plotting by partner-in-crime Emmett (actually, they're both hoboes), played with expert comic timing by Michael Ruff.

- The Silver Whistle. By Robert McEnroe. Directed by Jim Crabtree. Presented by Cumberland County Playhouse, Crossville, through April 15. For details, visit the company website at www.ccplayhouse.com or call (931) 484-5000 for ticket information.

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