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| Tina Jo Wallace & David Myers in Killjoy. Photo courtesy of Derby Dinner Playhouse. |
Killjoy
Written
by Jerry Mayer
Directed
by Bekki Jo Schneider
Reviewed
by Keith Waits.
Entire
contents copyright © 2013, Keith Waits, all rights reserved.
Killjoy
is a breezy, sitcom-level farce that delivers a domestic conflict scenario with
just a dash of the macabre.
Carol
(Tina Jo Wallace) is frustrated with her mean-spirited ex-husband Victor (David
Myers) to the point where she imagines murdering him. He mistreats her and
their two grown children Vicki (Carly Stotts) and Sonny (Jeffrey Todd Parrott)
and has now remarried: a younger, more glamorous “trophy wife”, Claudia (Janet
Essenpreis). At first her desires are indulged only in dream and fantasy
sequences in which she receives very unorthodox counsel from a priest (J.R.
Stuart). Since he is only a figment of Carol’s imagination, good Catholics need
not take offense.
Carol’s
plans start to become reality when Victor’s lawyer Rick (Cary Wiger) surprises
her with some homicidal thoughts of his own. From there the story takes a few
twists and turns that are just bold enough to keep the audience engaged without
proving too challenging. To witness the doggedly middle-of-the-road Carol
entertain notions of dispatching Victor moves from fantasy to reality is just
incongruous enough to save the otherwise pedestrian script from mediocrity.
That and enough one-liners delivered with crackerjack timing by a seasoned
cast.
The
main character is an addition to the catalog of “regular” middle-American women
in Tina Jo Wallace’s arsenal: ordinary, decent, hard-working housewives lacking
in the over-worked neurosis that dominate popular culture. It is confident work
that allows Derby Dinner patrons to easily identify with the character, even if
it somewhat undermines her credibility as a potential murderess. David Myers is
also treading familiar ground here, bringing suitably arrogant bluster to
Victor. Yet, if Victor is a first-class jerk, he hardly deserves to be
murdered.
Janet
Essenpreis’ flashy good looks serve the gold-digging Claudia very well, and
Cary Wiger, Carly Stotts and Jeffrey Todd Parrott all do yeoman service filling
out the cast. As the priest, J.R. Stuart would steal the show entirely with his
sure-fire comic delivery and impish presence, if his choice moments onstage
were not so brief.
The
whole production is bright and professional, as is always the case in this
house, but this seems like a minor effort for Derby Dinner Playhouse. Still,
the laughs are sure and plentiful enough to make for an appealing escape from a
cold and rainy January day, and the Hummingbird cake is to die for.
And,
though I am not a restaurant critic, I would be remiss if I did not make
mention of the superlative and efficient wait staff working my performance.
Those are busy aisles before the genial Footlights take the stage for the
pre-show entertainment, and the waiters and busmen must step lightly to keep
up. My service never faltered.
Killjoy
January
8 – February 16
Derby
Dinner Playhouse
525
Marriott Drive
Clarksville,
IN 47129
812-288-8281
derbydinner.com
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