Dinner Theatre for Lunch
Phoenix Theatre's Scene fromLovers and Other Strangers at Dial 
Corp Center
**1/2 (out of *****)
Mark S.P. Turvin
(w) 965-1021  (h) 894-5443
I can be reached for comment via e-mail at: mspt@asu.edu

	Phoenix Theatre's Lunch Box Series has taken a brief respite 
from the experimental (How Gertrude Stormed the Philosopher's 
Club) and literary (Mamet's Life in the Theatre) to dabble in the 
commercial. This scene from the '70s hit Lovers and Other 
Strangers broadens the horizons of Phoenix Theatre's mid-day 
repetoire; Lunch Box theatre has expanded into the realm of dinner 
theatre.
	Lovers and Other Strangers is a funny show divided into five 
"acts," with many cute thoughts about sex, marriage, commitment, 
fidelity, and birthday gifts. It was the standard of dinner 
theatre fare for many years, often proceeding Neil Simon's Plaza 
Suite and proceeded by Woody Allen's Play It Again, Sam in a 
season. It's not too deep. It's not too insightful. It's just cute 
and funny. End of story.
	This production of one of the "acts," really nothing more 
than a 30 minute scene, directed and starring Steve Milo, offers a 
dinner theatre presentation of a dinner theatre piece, while 
inviting you to enjoy your lunch. No new ground is broken here. 
The scene, presented at breakneck speed in an obvious and 
slapstick way, has its share of belly laughs, chuckles and 
chortles. Mr. Milo has decided to leave the setting in the late 
70's, offering cute choices for clothing, set dressing and keeping 
the "Me Generation" feel of the piece.
	At the center of this scene between a son in his late 20's, 
his parents, and his estranged wife, is one great performance, two 
okay performances, and one weak performance. As Frank, Richie's 
overly-Italian, overly-New York dad, Steve Milo's presentation is 
too fast, too over-the-top, and way-too-obvious. This throws off 
the balance of the piece, since it is he who is at the center of 
this attempted reconciliation. Much subtlety is lost in his 
mugging and the way that he steamrolls the other performers, not 
to mention his miscasting for a role that calls for someone in 
their late 50's. 
	As the estranged couple, Mark Haws and Christina Sutter offer 
simple, underplayed performances, attempting to compensate for Mr. 
Milo's charicature. Mr. Haws did well reacting to his parents 
littany. Ms. Sutter was weaker, though her character does not 
offer much for an actress. 
	The best performance came from the equally miscast Laura 
Durant, who managed to portray the haggard mother character twenty 
years her senior believably and enjoyably. A few minutes into the 
performance, her age discrepancy disappeared, and her character 
worked well against the overplaying of her husband. 
	Despite the miscasting of two people in charcters much too 
old for them, the show does entertain, which is all that it is 
meant to do. With the proponderance of middle aged actors in town 
who would do just as well, why two people in their late 20's were 
cast is a mystery. For a cute and fun meal show, Lovers and Other 
Strangers is a cheaper, though slimmer, alternative to Max's and 
the murder mystery dinner theatres.

Production Details:
"Bea, Frank, Richie and Joan" from Lovers and Other Strangers by 
Renee Taylor & Joseph Bologna
Phoenix Theatre's Lunch Box Series
The Dial Corporate Center Playhouse on the Park
1850 N. Central Avenue, Phoenix
254-2151 and 258-1974
$3.50 General
Tuesday through Friday, July 25-August 11, 12:15-12:45 pm

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