A Little Quickie earns big applause at Blackhorse Theatre

November 14, 2014 · 0 Comments

By Anne Ritchie
There’s flashbacks and fast living, loving and leaving, gambling and games in Jane Milmore’s and William van Zandt’s A Little Quickie, and it all adds up to a riotous evening at Blackhorse Village Players.
Who would think a modestly decorated Atlantic City hotel room with an adjoining offstage suite could hold so much laughter, but thanks to a talented cast, skilled backstage crew (Catherine, Louie, and Kaitlyn Johnson) and plot filled with the funniest one liners you would ever hear, it certainly does.
Perhaps success is due to the flamboyant Roscoe Clementine (Roderick Cook) who arrives with a flourish and a wild Brooklyn accent. Whether he is sweeping a woman off her feet or quaking in his boots while envisioning his brawny wife’s reaction to such doings, the audience roars with laughter.
Success may also be due to the antics of Steve and Allen, a comic duo with complicated lives, complete with career spins, romantic mix-ups, and encounters with Roscoe’s brawny wife. Kevin Deland portrays the downtrodden and gangly Allen, offering a flood of quick-witted one-liners and sporting a hilarious swagger to attract the ladies — any ladies, as well as the audience’s applause. He is schooled by Lex Darian, cool to the point of being cold, smooth to point of oily, transformed while managing the mishaps and manipulations that trip up his marriage and career. Darian has us wondering just how bad, or good, he can be.
And only the ladies will know for sure. There is Allen’s Signourey, a beautiful model brought to life by Elizabeth Coulter. Coulter looks and plays the part to perfection, though why the perfection is centered on the bumbling Allen is often a mystery. Then there is the bubbling and voluptuous Polly (Mandi Sosnowski), Roscoe’s true love. Sosnowski’s spontaneity and fun-loving style have the audience loving Polly as much as Roscoe does. On the married side, Steve’s wife Sara (Kaitlyn Johnson) is a study in indecision, for good cause. Bridging the friendship with awkward Allen and smooth Steve is a challenge, particularly when the tables are turned; Johnson has us guessing to the finale just how things will turn out.
Backstage, kudos go to Director Catherine Johnson and Producer Ginny Cathcart. With stage manager Mary VanDyk, they have created a memorable evening, one resounding with laughter generated by an amazing group of characters who you will not want to miss.
Call 905-880-5002 to reserve a seat for A Little Quickie, playing at The Blackhorse Village Players until Nov. 15.