Theatre--Review

Full disclosure--the author of this review is the light board operator for That's The Spirit. He only runs the lights and had no part in any rehearsal or creative decision prior to the dress rehearsal. He had seen no part of the show until two days before it opened.

That's The Spirit is the title of the Tim Kelly comedy/thriller currently playing at the Essanee Theatre in New Iberia. It could also be a rousing cheer for a director, cast and crew that has overcome the trials of Job to put the show on. After surviving the upheavals of actors and crew who left the cast and had to be replaced, director Donna Bernard then had to postpone the opening for Hurricane Gustav. However, the show did open on Friday night despite the weather and will also run this coming weekend, September 19th-21st.

Tim Kelly is a one-man writing factory who creates shows for community theatres. He understands the desires of his audiences and performers for family friendly shows which don't run too long for smaller children to sit through. That's no backhanded compliment--everyone who has been to a play or movie understands the value of finishing the show before young attention spans are exhausted.

Tim Kelly also understands the limitations of amateur casting which usually result in a mix of very experienced pros and complete beginners who don't know stage right from stage left. His characters range from the wacky to the normal and include roles for the skilled and less-skilled actor. In other words, he writes characters that beginners can succeed in playing but he also writes characters that can engage the talents of more proficient actors.

That's The Spirit concerns the murder of psychic Jenny Davenport who owned the Laurel Canyon home of the Great Marvel, a Houdini-like magician of the early part of the last century. Since her murder, the house has been left in trust to her young niece, Irene Lockwood (Carolyn Broussard). Along with the house comes Ruby, a sassy housekeeper with a secret (Barbie Delhomme) and the next-door neighbor, Wayne Hopkins, a self-obsessed television star with a secret (Alex Bonin). And soon enough, Irene is visited by Claire Voyant, a psychic friend of the late Jenny Davenport who has a secret (Leigh Simmons). Claire wants to help the police discover who killed Jenny and she plans to do so by using three other psychics to help her contact the spirit of the Great Marvel. (You may be asking yourself, why not contact JENNY? Well--because the Great Marvel has already left a special telephone which he will use to contact the living (really!) and Jenny has not been so foresighted.)

In due course, the other three psychics appear. There is Bella Donna (Michael Weber), who never makes a move without consulting her adviser Chester, a wooden dummy with a mouth; Anne Boleyn (Amy Price), who channels Henry the Eighth's second wife and has a phobia about axes and lastly, Estelle Slater--The One With The X-Ray Eyes (Martha Gilfoil). Looking at the ceiling, Estelle can see the pile of dirt that Ruby has swept under a bedroom rug. Estelle may have a secret, herself.

And then there is Victoria Greenstreet (Alaina Comeaux)--a sinister rare book dealer who makes house calls at one in the morning and who may hold the key to the motive for Jenny's death.

Trying to bring order to the chaos is Police Lieutenant Chad Prindle (Mile Berry), a policeman with a secret. He is assisted by Detective Bud Frazer (Ryan Berard). Bud is an amateur magician who is enthralled by the legend of the Great Marvel and who has no sedrets at all. Then, there is Scotti Nelson (Kristen Anderson), a park ranger with a secret. And lastly, the area is haunted by Juanette the Hermit (Ivy Fauntleroy)--a homeless person with a secret.

Will all the secrets be revealed? Will the Killer be unmasked? Will the Great Marvel call home from the ether?

The cast has continued to tighten up the show throughout the weekend and it plays pretty smoothly. Leigh Simmons stepped into the leading role of Claire Voyant in a week but you would never know it. I also give her fellow actors credit for reacting to her as if she had always been in the role. It's not easy to adjust to a new actor who will have different timing, different line readings--a whole different feel on stage. This cast is a real ensemble.

The set is well-designed with a very nice job of set decoration. The costumes are witty and appropriate to the characters. All the actors wear microphones, so the audience can easily hear every word.

Shows like this are tricky because it is essential to create a real world which is then invaded by beings from another planet. Everyone loves the scenery-chewing eccentrics, but it is the lower key "real" people who have the harder job. It is very tempting, yet fatal, to go a little over the top. Fortunately, Donna Bernard and her cast avoid this trap. Irene, Ruby and the officers of the law stay firmly on the ground and anchor the over-the-top performances of Juanette and the psychics.

Keep an eye on the team of Mike Berry and Ryan Berard. They have a great chemistry as the old dog and the young puppy.

You'll enjoy the scene in which the killer reveals all. It's a fine bit of psychotic emoting by.....aaauughhhh!
---Walter Brown