'Always' offers catchy music, story of friendship

nks to a well-cast ensemble, the Barn Players’ version of the classic comedy "The Man Who Came to Dinner" is a pleasant surprise.

The play by Moss Hart and George S. Kaufman was written in the 1930s and is full of dated cultural references that will leave many audience members scratching their heads. But the farcical elements and razor sharp wit are still intact.

Bill Pelletier

Memorable performers in the large ensemble include Carol Leighton as a mysterious local, Kevan Meyers as a flamboyant English actor, Christina Schafer Martin as a Hollywood glamour girl and Courtney Stephens as Whiteside’s Girl Friday.

The three-act show is a bit overlong and includes two intermissions, but director Jessica Franz manages to maintain a lively pace. Katy Freeman’s costumes help create the proper period feel.

The Barn Players’ incarnation of this theatrical warhorse shows it aging with loony grace.

"The Man Who Came to Dinner" runs through July 27 at the Barn Players Theatre, 6219 Martway, Mission. Information is available at 432-9100.

TRANSLATIONS

With his lifelong friend passed out on a barn floor from too much drink, a character in Brian Friel’s play "Translations" observes, "Confusion is not an ignoble condition."

Perhaps, but the struggle for understanding and the meaning of language are at the heart of this cerebral play, currently being presented by the Actors’ Theatre of Kansas City.

Solidly directed by Mark Robbins and featuring a splendid cast, "Translations" is, in turns, comic and somber as it examines the barriers of communication.

In 1833, the British are Anglicizing Ireland, renaming towns and imposing the English language on citizens. Against this backdrop, a star-crossed romance develops between an English cartographer (Nathan Darrow) and a local farm girl (Kate Gilchrist Langley).

Veterans T. Max Graham and Gary Holcombe give vivid performances and newcomers Nick Gehlfuss and Logan Ernstthal also have a considerable impact.

"Translations" is an absorbing drama that certainly provides a lot of food for thought.

"Translations" runs through Aug. 31 at the H&R Block City Stage Theater in Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Road, Kansas City, Mo. For information, call (816) 235-6222.

ALWAYS…PATSY CLINE

Thirteen years ago, actresses Becky Barta and Cathy Barnett appeared in the American Heartland Theatre’s production of "Always…Patsy Cline." This summer, we’re offered an encore.

Ted Swindley

The play recounts the evening that Cline sang at a Houston dance hall. Seger, a fan of the then-little-known Cline, coerced her friends into attending the show. There she met the unpretentious songbird and the two quickly became bosom buddies.

This plot serves as an excuse to serve up 26 terrific songs, including "Crazy" and "Walkin’ After Midnight," delivered with plenty of verve by Barta. While she doesn’t imitate Cline, Barta ably approximates Cline’s crooning style.

Barnett is a hoot, chewing the scenery with delight and displaying a keen sense of comic timing.

Paul Hough

But this work lives or dies by the ladies’ performances. As always, they deliver.