Blackhorse Village Players’ Skin Flick: Flash with success

March 27, 2015 · 0 Comments

By Anne Ritchie
When Blackhorse Village Players audiences are invited to “sit back, relax, and enjoy,” they’ll find themselves holding onto their seats in laughter for the highly entertaining antics in Norm Foster’s Skin Flick.
Who would have thought that in one evening there could be so much tongue in cheek humor, misguided success and a most surprising ending. Kudos to Morris Durante in his directorial debut who, with Cheryl Phillips, prove themselves as talented behind the scenes as on stage. With stage manager Elizabeth Coulter and producer Michelle Lanoue, Blackhorse has hit on success once again.
Ivor Cathcart takes on the versatile role of the amiable but anxious Rolly Waters. As if he and the audience were conspirators, Rolly details the wild adventures of a group of down and nearly out characters who decide creating a porn movie is their ticket to economic success. He accents the story when actors freeze, stock still and silent or sparking the action as they find themselves muffling a censored word.
As the story unfolds, the puzzled and befuddled Byron Hobbs (Julian Bachlow) emerges as an unsuspecting porn star arriving on set with an entirely different perspective. However, stick him in a room with a sparkling co-star and instruction by an avid director and enthusiastic cameraman and he rises to the occasion. Bachlow has us believing in his sweet and level-headed innocence no matter what the outcome.
Jill (Karalee Stevens) balances the sass of a porn star with the class of a star-crossed lover, a portrayal that leads to a surprising ending. From her entrance with a misguided singing telegram, Stevens, a newcomer to Blackhorse, grabs the attention of the audience, demonstrating remarkable agility in some of the funniest scenes in a wonderful show.
It’s Daphne Waters (Catherine Johnson) who runs the show for the evening. The character can only be as creative and enthusiastic as the actor and Johnson matches talent to the role. The warmth of a cozy home is preempted with a new career in directing porn, and the audience stays tuned for further developments, engrossed in guessing what will happen next.
No film is complete without an expert cameraman, and Alex Tratt (Mark Hayward) brings down the house in a photo shoot not to be missed. He stumbles into wannabe success tripped up by unemployment, astonished at the misguided actions that brought him there. He’s a study in contrasts, lovable and exasperating, blundering while grasping the key to success, and Hayward plays him well.
Skin Flick is well played, brimming with talent, packed with humor, romance, and unforgettably hilarious moments.
Catch them all in Norm Foster’s Skin Flick, playing March 22 to 29 and April 2 to 4. Call 905-880-5002 for ticket information.