Shows & Events
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August 2 thru August 19, 2012
LEADING LADIES
by Ken Ludwig
Directed by Missy Moore
Starring Zachary Andrews, David Blumenstock, Rachel Bouchard, Michael Bouchard, Daymond Caylo, Bethany Lillis, Haydn Winston, and Edith Weiss
A hilarious comedy about two English Shakespearean actors, Jack and
Leo, who find themselves so down on their luck that they are performing
"Scenes from Shakespeare" on the Moose Lodge circuit in the Amish country of Pennsylvania. When they hear that an old lady in York, PA is about
to die and leave her fortune to her two long lost English nephews, they resolve to pass themselves off as her beloved relatives and get the cash.
The trouble is, when they get to York, they find out that the relatives aren't nephews, but nieces!
Romantic entanglements abound, especially when Leo falls
head-over-petticoat in love with the old lady's vivacious niece, Meg, who's engaged to
the local minister. Meg knows that there's a wide world out there, but it's not until she meets "Maxine and Stephanie" that she finally gets a
taste of it. A new comedy by the author of Lend Me A Tenor and Moon Over Buffalo.
"Slapstick goofiness, scrambled Shakespeare, and good-natured laughs." ~ Montana Repertory Theatre
"So funny, it will make sophisticated and reasonable men and women of the 21st century cackle till their faces hurt." ~ Houston Press
"Consistently funny and increasingly hilarious." ~ Houston Chronicle
Check out David Marlowe's review of at
Marlowe's Musings.
July 18, 2012.
A review by Beki Pineda
July 22, 2012
LEADING LADIES - Written by Ken Ludwig; directed by Missy Moore. Produced by Backstage Theatre at the Aurora Fox; playing from July 26 through
August 19 at Backstage Theatre (121 Ridge St, Breckenridge). Tickets at www.backstagetheatre.org or 970-453-0199.
The recent phenomenon of theatres creating a production in one venue and then moving it to a second for a new audience continues with this production
of LEADING LADIES. Cast and constructed at the Aurora Fox Studio Theatre, the production played for ten days there and has now moved up the mountain
to producer Chris Willard's home theatre in Breckenridge lock, stock and roller skates. This is a boon for the actors in the show as they get a
mini-vacation in the mountains and they get to continue a fun show for a new audience. Win/win all around.
LEADING LADIES is a lovely script by Ken Ludwig that features the farcical gimmick of quick changes as our lead actors go from male to female and back
again. Leo (Zach Andrews) and Jack (Michael Bouchard) are two only moderately talented unemployed actors who find a newspaper article about lost heirs
to a fortune. They decide to become 'Max' and 'Steve' to try to score the money, only to find at the last minute that the missing heirs are women -
Maxine and Stephanie. So armed with their costume trunk for dresses and wigs, they boldly go where no man should go.
They are greeted with open arms by Meg (Rachel Bouchard), the third heir. But surprise! surprise! The supposed corpse is very much alive and shows no
signs of slowing down. This is only the first complication in their plot. Duncan (David Blumenstock), the minister/fiance of Meg, is very suspicious
of these truly homely women. Plus the boys find themselves wanting to hang around as Leo becomes enamored of Meg and Jack is attracted to Audrey
(Bethany Lillis), a family friend. In trying to cover their tracks and follow their hearts, chaos ensues. It is in Jack and Leo's increasingly
frantic attempts to stay ahead of the fire that much of the comedy happens.
Rachel Bouchard made a very touching Meg whose heart longs for more when her life is circumscribed by a smaller existence. An audible groan came out
of the audience when her husband-to-be dismissed her dream of becoming an actress and allowed that he would permit her to have musical evenings at the
church. Zach Andrews is an extremely handsome Leo - entirely believable as a frustrated actor and an incredibly homely woman. It's the whole Superman
syndrome - glasses/no glasses. How could you not see through his guise? Well, it's a play!
Michael Bouchard brings his usual bouncy energy to the role of Jack whose transformation to a woman allows him to sneak hugs from the slightly dense
Audrey. "Give us a hug" is his mantra for the evening. David Blumenstock's suspicious Duncan is played with humor and dubious charm; Edith Weiss
reprises her cranky old lady as Florence, the deceased who refuses to stop breathing.
I'm sorry you have to go all the way to Breckenridge to see this delightful show at this point. But if you were going any way or were looking for
something fun to do on a summer's weekend, head up the mountain to Breck for a stroll through the Village, dinner at one of the dozens of fine
restaurants and an evening at the theatre. Does Colorado get any better than that?
A Wow factor of 8!
. . .
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Show Dates & Times
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Performed at the Breckenridge Theatre
121 South Ridge Street,
Breckenridge, Colorado
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Ticket Information
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Reservations Recommended
Walk-Ins Welcome
(970) 453-0199
Thanks, to Summit Daily News