This production is amateur theatre at its best.  Tea Tree Players are adept proponents of the farce genre and have presented some excellent examples.

Moon Over Buffalo raises the bar a little in that it not only has the usually complex plot and inherent misunderstandings, but requires American accents, plays within plays, and many a diverting soliloquy from its leading actor. The cast handles all of these challenges very well.

Andrew Crayford as George Hay embodies the role of the ageing thespian convinced that he still has a glorious future, and he excels himself in his performance in Act 2.  This is a very funny characterisation. Chris Gallipo definitely gives as good as she gets as Charlotte Hay, his sparring spouse.  Cathie Oldfield as George’s deaf mother-in-law Ethel is a delight. Kieran Drost has another opportunity to play a droll, hapless character in Howard with great comic effect.  Stacey Murray as Rosalind and Kahlia Feuerreiter as Eileen bring some youthful glamour to the ensemble as well as strongly leading their own story lines. David Kinna (Paul) and Stephen Prior (Richard) as rejected lover, and potential lover respectively stalwartly try to provide some sanity amidst the chaos.

Director Jo Allenby and her very talented cast have produced a professional, fast-paced and very entertaining offering, assisted by an excellent production team who successfully created the ambience of a 1950’s era theatre.

Another good night’s entertainment at the Tea Tree Players Theatre.

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