Follies fantastic

Judy Corwin has directed another hit for the HSV Players with Senior Follies. Her assistant for this production is Jeff Smith. This is his first time working behind the scenes.
Marge Newburn’s newest production of Billy St. John’s Senior Follies opens this Wednesday. Show dates accommodate St. Patrick’s Day. The show runs Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Everyone is free to attend the world’s shortest St. Patrick’s Day parade and partake in green beer and not miss Senior Follies.
The St. John play is laugh out loud funny with senior humor. If you can’t laugh at yourself who can. The charming and unobtrusive set was designed by Judy Corwin, Ken Birkovff and Sharon Swintz. The trio has created the perfect backdrop for this show. Swintz and Dorothy Weber’s set decoration give the feel of a favorite old slipper. The set is static throughout the show so enough said.
When the actors walk onto the set they stand out in their bright costumes thanks to Nancy Martin. I loved the extra dimension of clothing versus set throughout the show. This visual is brought home from the top of the show.
Other behind the scenes people of note include Sherry Phillips as the props mistress, Bill and Kathy Jervis as the stage managers, and Check Bracke as artist. All thankless jobs necessary in every production. Thank you.
Now let’s get to the meat of any production. How did the actors do? Very well, thank you. There are some familiar faces but also some new faces. St. John’s comedy is so funny it would work no matter what but the cast really does deliver the lines well. With any comedy the lines are sometimes delivered with a wink and a shove but also sometimes with much more subtle craft.
The actors deftly brought the outrageous characters to life and will endear them to the audience.
I loved Bev Bullard as Mildred Rice. Mildred is a sweet but savvy widow at the Pleasant Valley retirement home. Her character runs the gamut from fending off a Lothario, Howard Phelps, to a crime solving Jessica Fletcher followed by a femme fatale. Every aspect of her character is adorable. Bullard gets better and better every time I see her on the Woodlands stage.
Tina Cooper was seen in a small part in Annie Get Your Gun, a bigger part in one of the 40th anniversary plays and now a starring role in this ensemble cast. Cooper is precious as the virginal, never been married Iris Cunningham. Cooper is very believable as the naive senior. Whatever you do don’t mention water to her.
Herm Dobscha is perfect as the Don Juan of Pleasant Valley, Howard Phelps. His deep and dulcet tones matched with his adept acting skills make for a memorable character. Howard is a big fan of Viagra and is constantly on the prowl for a conquest. He is also a good friend and has good friends, the theme of this show.
Herm’s lovely wife JoAnn Dobscha plays the deceitful Sybil Thackery. Dobscha brings her bombshell body and lots of personality to the ornery Sybil. She is very good at being very bad.
David Feldpausch is new to me and he handily played the smooth but despicable Lowell Thackery. He is evil but his sister Sybil is evil in spades. Lowell can let butter melt in his mouth one minute and spit acid the next. I would not want to be on his bad side.
Bill Fields and Ev Smyth are the implacable Mr. and Mrs. Rivers, the managers of Pleasant Valley. Their characters often advance the story, a thankless job in the theater. Both handle their jobs nicely. The diminutive Smyth with the very tall Fields make for a comic picture. Both did admirable jobs with the material.
Jack and Lee Iafrate play Douglas and Bernice Thompson. They are the couple that hold everyone else together. Salt of the earth with a little bit of I Love Lucy in their souls. They are often prone to deviate from the straight and narrow just for the experience. This duo provides some of the biggest laughs of the night. I love the Iafrates, they are fearless on stage. They will try just about anything for a laugh. I am sure they are a director’s dream team. You will see a lot of them on stage. Douglas fancies himself Barnaby Jones, I guess that makes Bernice the Lee Merriweather character.
Without a doubt the most active senior on stage in this production is Janice Willett as Sarah Jane Dinsmore, the divorcee at Pleasant Valley. She is strong minded and ever resourceful. Willet’s Jackie Chan moves are hilarious. She is Miss Marple to Mildred’s Jessica Fletcher. Willett has a lot of fun with Sarah Jane. She will unabashedly play to the audience for every funny line and she has a lot of them. You won’t miss a one.
Tickets for Senior Follies are still available. Tickets are $12 at the Woodlands box office. The box office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.The show will run March 16, 18 and 19 at 7 p.m. and March 20 at 2 p.m. It is a Village don’t miss.