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Suppose a President of the United States moved in next door to you. Would it change your life? That is the main plot of OPCT's 2nd play of the season.
Chet Roberts moves his family from Dayton Ohio to a small oceanfront town called Harrison Point in California. He is an author and he loves his new home since there is only one other house in the area and he has peace and quiet to write his 2nd book. His 3 children are less enthusiastic about their new surroundings. Then life suddenly changes, when an unnamed President of the US moves in next door for the summer. Cindi (Marie Hamby) the teenage daughter with over active hormones, hopes the Secret Service men are young, since she is suffering from a severe lack of male companionship. Rich (Mike Cook), the oldest son, loves the surfing but figures he can enhance his desired career as a professional protester now that the President is next door. Jason (Nathaniel Blythe) is the youngest son, and takes advantage of the entrepreneur opportunities of having the chief executive as a neighbor, by running guided tours through his house and free lancing photos of the famous neighbor. Jenny (Debra Hatcher Smyers) is Chet's wife, and she just goes with the flow and smiles a lot. She reminded me a lot of the mother in the current movie hit "Pleasantville." Jeff Greer plays Chet Roberts, the All American dad who is writing a book on the socioeconomic problems of the world, |
but almost starts a war and in his own way changes a part of the world. No, it is not that profound, but that is all I will tell you.
The play has some other pretty zany characters as well. Greg Duncan is Mayor Stiles, and you guessed it, he is the mayor of this little hamlet, but has new ambitions. The flamboyant Stiles wants Harrison Point to become a major tourist attraction with all the streets named after Presidents. Lt. Jack Murdock, the secret service agent, is played by Scott J. Smith, who wears sun glasses night or day, and utters profound things like "Those rumors that you may hear might be true." Sergio Rodriguez is the dictator from an unknown country that sounds a lot like Cuba. He really looks the part as he winds up in the Roberts household on a drunken fling. He turns out to be a slimeball chasing young girls. The entire Chisholm family: Clay, Eileen, Amanda and Joe, are the tourists wandering through the house. This is a new twist in family togetherness. The set designed by Director Wells, has that California look and the addition of the stained glass window from Ye Ole Glass Shoppe was a nice touch. Bob Monroe and the cast coordinated the costumes which looked good and appropriate to the setting. The major and the dictator are especially colorful. I surfed the net trying to learn something about the author John R. Carroll and the origins of the play but could not find any information. I suspect it was probably written back in the late 60's |
and I say this because of the references to protests and picketing. Director Wells has nicely updated it with the addition of a portable computer for use by our on stage author.
Watching "The Folks Next Door" is very much like watching a TV sitcom from the 1960 era, such as the Brady Bunch. Today's TV is so much more sexually oriented, and other than a bit of sleaziness by the Dictator in act II, the material is pretty tame. The play certainly gives one a reason to pause and wonder what it would be like to have a President of the USA move into your neighborhood. I am sure that playwright Carroll's observations in this play were probably based on some personal experiences. The topic of the play certainly seems timely considering how much the current resident of the White House has been in the news. I did not notice any direct references to our current President although the photos on the front of the newspaper used on stage sure did not look like Lyndon Johnson or Ronald Regan. Director Barbara Wells has a mix of veteran actors with some very new to the stage, and created an evening of just sit back and relax fun. No big messages in this play (other than don't mess with the Secret Service). "The Folks Next Door" will continue until November 21st with Friday and Saturday evening performances at 8PM. All performances at the OPCT playhouse on Moody Road in Orange Park. Call 276-2599 to make reservations that are a must, since this theatre is very popular and frequently sells out. You can get complete information on the Internet at http://pages.prodigy.com/esjay/opct.htm. Or you can go through Yahoo through Arts and Humanities. This is another example of the community theatre's desire to bring plays to the stage that are new and good family entertainment. Try it, you will like it. |