LITTLE THEATRE OF VIRGINIA BEACH'S

A BAD YEAR FOR TOMATOES IS DELIGHTFUL

Theater Babe Says:  Go and Get Yourself a Giggle

Let's be clear:  A Bad Year for Tomatoes is a silly show.  But when silly material is skillfully presented as it is here in LTVB's production, what results is a thoroughly enjoyable evening full of the smiles Robin Chapman predicts in his Director's Note ("You won't come away any wiser, but you will come away smiling."), as well as few big ol' belly laughs.

The plot (such as it is) turns around the travails of Myra Marlow, a television star who retires to a small town in Vermont looking for seclusion in which to write her memoirs, only to be plagued by nosy neighbors.  Monica Wolfkill, as Myra, delivers an overall satisfactory performance that shines during her moments of physical comedy.  Ms. Wolfkill notes in her bio that this role is her largest to date, and her performance occasionally reflects that self-consciousness.  During Saturday's performance, she tripped over her words a few times – not badly, and certainly not any more than people frequently do in regular, off-stage conversation.  But each time it happened, Ms. Wolfkill tensed and lapsed into mere recitation of lines for long moments until she relaxed back into character and spoke more believably.  The Theater Babe recognizes that Myra's role indisputably carries the show and she has a ton of lines, but she encourages Ms. Wolfkill to worry less about being letter-perfect, and to focus on simply enjoying the experience and the ridiculous situations in which Myra finds herself.  For when Ms. Wolfkill is not concerned that she might flub a line, she has a lovely naturalness to her presentation that is pleasing to watch. 

Mary Lou Mahlman and Carolyn Collings are enchantingly dotty as Myra's neighbors Cora Gump and Reba Harper.  Ms. Mahlman and Ms. Collings each manage to infuse their gossipy, meddlesome characters with humor and a winsome kindness so that we completely understand why Myra refuses to just ignore them.  Steve Suskin is credible as the sheriff, although he needs to be more conscious of the three-sided stage in the LTVB's auditorium; during a long period in the second act, Mr. Suskin stands downstage right facing center stage, thereby not only presenting his back to one-third of the audience, but also completely blocking our view of Ms. Collings and Ms. Mahlman. 

Missy Hayes Mohr is a credible kook in her role as Willa Mae Wilcox, Myra's hippie neighbor.  Ms. Mohr embraces her character's eccentricities without overacting, and she's great fun to watch every time she steps on stage.  Steven Robert Wright gives a genial performance as Tom Lamont, Myra's agent and longtime friend, but his comedic timing on Saturday was just slightly off, particularly in the first scene, and lines that should've received laughs did not because of their delivery.

Part of the problem may have been the way he was dressed by costumer Kay Burcher.  Set in 1972, it seems unlikely that even on his day off a Hollywood agent would've been dressed in chinos and a Mr. Rogers-esque cardigan, and Tom's appearance creates an avuncular vibe between he and Myra rather than a flirtatious one.  His costumes in later scenes are much more consistent with his character.  Similarly, Cora and Reba's outfits do a good job of reinforcing their personas, but they are more reflective of the 1990s than the early-70s time period in which the action is supposed to be set.  By way of contrast, Willa Mae is perfectly dressed.

The standout performance of this production, however, is Brian Cebrian's unfailingly funny portrayal of Piney.  Although his lines are seldom more than two syllables long and are believably rendered in a consistent sing-song tone, Mr. Cebrian nevertheless creates an endearing character; we want Piney to prevail, even though we know his heart's desire is impossible to achieve. 

Bottom line?  Mr. Chapman and his cast have created an amusing world of quirky characters and it's worth the time and the ticket price to spend the evening with them.

Performances run thru June 10^th, Friday – Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2:30 p.m.

at the Little Theatre of Virginia Beach,

550 Barberton Drive, Virginia Beach, Virginia 23451.

Tickets are $17 ($14 for matinees) with discounts for seniors and active military. 

Reservations can be obtained by calling the box office at (757) 428-9233.

© 2012 Hampton Roads Theater Babe.  All Rights Reserved.