Tempe Little Theatre's Inspecting Carol at The Tempe Performing Arts Center
(out of 
)Mark S.P. Turvin
(home office) (602) 912-0117
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@goldfishpublishers.com
Reviewed 12/12/99
(out of )Prima donna performers. Cast love affairs. Tyrannical directors. Unfazed stage managers. Child actors from Hell. A subscriber crunch. A Dickens classic. A too-short rehearsal period. An N.E.A. funding review. Anyone who has any theatre background will recognize this as a normal day at the theatre. Director Teri Glaess and Tempe Little Theatre are presenting these traumas onstage to an unsuspecting audience with the wickedly satirical Inspecting Carol. Written by Daniel Sullivan and the ensemble at The Seattle Repertory Co., this reworking of The Inspector General is a liberal slam at artistic political correctness, but also manages to take jabs at every theatre stereotype along the way. It's usually performed during the holidays, but it's not my idea of a holly-jolly Christmas. Perhaps that's why this production works as well as it does.
The midwestern Soapbox Playhouse is mounting Dickens' yearly cash cow. The cast and crew is full of ego and bile, overseen by a director who does anything for her art. Into this poisonous mix comes Wayne, whom everyone assumes is an N.E.A. funding reviewer. The director and business manager fawn over him, even allowing him to rewrite the classic script. The result, while not exactly unexpected, still is very funny in getting to the obvious conclusion.
Ms. Glaess has brought together several TLT regulars, and a few new faces, and paced the show well, building in such a way as to allow the cast to pull off the many in-crowd and obvious gags for surefire laughs. She has also choreographed the final slapstick section wonderfully, creating a climax that brings down the house.
There are no breakout performances, though there are no obviously off ones, either. The ensemble works well together, and while they have some problems projecting in the cavernous TPAC space, which is set as a modified thrust, they do a great job when they begin building toward the crazy play-within-a-play. As unsuspecting Wayne, Kurt Johnson has given better, less obvious performances, but is still very funny when he becomes fully integrated into the second act. Beveryn Swaim is flamboyant in her portrayal of the dictatorial director, Zorah. Better still is Sandy Elias as the full-of-himself Larry. He brings across the pompous poseur in a very funny way. Marilyn Gibson takes a while to warm up as the pretentious Dorothy, but reveals great comic timing once she gets going.
Michael Roberts and Tom Stevick are both entertaining, greatly carrying off their in-fighting and blandness respectively. As the jaded stage manager MJ, newcomer Deborah Hammerman is much funnier when she's going for irony, but a little flat playing deadpan. Pascal Brown's newly-hired minority actor Walter and Sean Dixon's frantic business manager Kevin have their moments, but occasionally miss the mark a bit, Mr. Brown by overplaying the end, and Mr. Dixon by overplaying throughout.
Eric Johnson must be commended for capturing the essence of hasty theatre in his complex Scenic Design. Making so little look so shoddy and still do so much is an impressive feat. Bob Nelson's Light and Sound Design are well-executed, and very funny, aided by David Nelson's impressive Special Effects. Unfortunately, Pam Oakley and Amy Singleton drop the ball with their Costume Design, especially with the uncharacteristically bright outfits worn by Ms. Hammerman's stage manager.
If you've got a case of the holiday blues, and are looking for something to make you laugh and smirk a little, then TLT has the antidote for you.
Production Details:
Inspecting Carol by Daniel
Sullivan and The Seattle Repertory Co.
Tempe Little Theatre
The Tempe Performing Arts Center
(480) 350-8388
December 10th - December 19th, 1999