'The President,' presented by Bobcat Players, brings fast-paced, manic fun
BEAVER ― A rapid-fire pace, manic plot and skilled acting energize "The President or One, Two, Three," the latest production from the Bobcat Players, opening Friday.
More than a decade ago, the founder and original artistic director of the Bobcat Players, Franklin Myers, saw a production of Ferenc Molnar’s classic farce at the Shaw Festival in Niagara-on-the-Lake.
Immediately captivated by the rarely performed production, he vowed to bring it to the Bobcat Players’ stage in 2020. COVID intervened, but now three years later, "The President or One, Two, Three" will entertain audiences at the Ed Schaughency Theater, in Beaver High School.
Director Patti Ross, a veteran of the Bobcat Players, admits the play presents daunting challenges due to its tremendous energy, sharply delivered dialogue and tightly controlled staging.
But "The President" is not the typical bedroom farce with doors slamming, mistaken identities and characters hopping in and out of bed.
"'The President' is far wittier and more urbane; presenting a glimpse into the foibles and failings of the human condition, admittedly cloaked in the guise of an antic plot and a cavalcade of absurd and improbable characters," Ross said in a press release.
The premise is simple: protagonist Norrison is a business tycoon circa 1950, married to a woman viewed as a beacon of morality in a world of sin. They are guardians to the lovely Lydia, “flower of Midwestern puritanism” and daughter of a wealthy soybean king.
While under Norrison’s tutelage, Lydia manages to meet, marry and conceive a child with a humble cab driver of dubious reputation and even more dubious politics. As her unknowing parents are arriving in an hour’s time to retrieve Lydia, Norrison finds he must make over this misfit of a husband so that he will be welcomed into the family fold.
"What happens next in the course of the show is the entrance and exit of a parade of tailors, tinkers, doctors and diplomats who play their part in the transformation of the sow’s ear of a husband into a silk purse worthy of the wayward but wealthy Lydia," Ross said. "It’s a complex process master-minded by Norrison as he races against the clock."
Think “Pygmalion" meets the Marx Brothers.
"The plot is tight, the dialogue hilarious, but the real jewel in the crown of 'The President' is the acting," Ross said. "At the forefront of the production is Keith Zagorski of Beaver, a long-time Bobcat Player and president of the group. He portrays the mastermind Norrison, and he has the lion’s share of the dialogue as he works his magic on the lowly Tony Foot, (Daniel Stadnick, also of Beaver.)
The saucy Lydia is played by Sarah Brunner of Emsworth, making her Bobcat Players debut.
David Cary of Conway, and Samantha Smith of Beaver Falls, round out the single-character roles respectively as the gentleman aide Bartleby and the private secretary Miss Kuno.
The other 15 characters are played with breathtaking speed and costume changes by only four actors: Bruce E. Travers of Ross Township, Jason Fernandez of Chippewa Township, Katy Grant of Mount Lebanon, and Apryl Peroney of Pittsburgh's North Side.
"They showcase their theatrical chops with the ability to become anyone from a haughty countess to an enthused French waiter to a shady ambassador to a meek but well-meaning menswear salesman," Ross said. "It’s truly a revolving door of characters that promises to make any audience dizzy and giddy. Good emotions for a farce."
Showtimes are 7:30 p.m. Nov. 10-11, 16-18. Tickets cost $15, and may be purchased at the Hostess Shoppe on Third Street in Beaver; by phone at 878-207-0309; online at bobcatplayers.yaposody.com, or at the door on theevenings of performances.
Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: 'The President,' presented by Bobcat Players, brings fast-paced laughs
