[NEohioPAL]"Wildly Funny... Can't Miss" Chagrin Valley Times reviews 'Leading Ladies'

Thu May 3 14:28:29 PDT 2007

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--- /LEADING LADIES/ --- Fri/Sat at 8:00 through May 19th
Call 440-247-8955 for tickets
Ask about our Champagne Soire=E9 prior to the show on May 11th.ALSO at CVLT:

/MISS MARGARIDA'S WAY/
  at the River Street Playhouse (56 River St.)
  May 4- 5, 11-12, 17-18 at 8:00 PM
  $8 - adults only please!

  A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
  OPEN AUDITIONS  MAY 6th & 7th

   Visit www.CVLT.org[1] for details!

    "This 'Shakespeare' is wildly funny"
by Herb Hammer, Chagrin Valley Times

Jack and Leo, a couple of down-and-out British Shakespearian actors, =20
are touring small towns in the United States, performing "Scenes From =20
Shakespeare," when they learn of the death of a rich matriarch in =20
York, Pa. They soon find she has left two-thirds of her fortune to two =20
English nieces she had never seen. This is when the fun begins.

Ken Ludwig's "Leading Ladies' had its world premiere at the Cleveland =20
Play House in 2004. The play has landed at the Chagrin Valley Little =20
Theatre.

As he has in the past with other works, such as 'Moon Over Buffalo", =20
Mr. Ludwig places his action back 50 years. By giving old-style comedy =20
a new, fresh look and feel, he is able to make the laughs come quick =20
and easy without cluttering up the plot with action that has to make =20
any sense.

Guys in dresses always make audiences laugh. In "Leading Ladies," Jack =20
and Leo turn themselves into Maxine and Stephanie and appear at the =20
York mansion in Cleopatra and Titania costumes they've gathered from =20
their Shakespeare wardrobe. They're ready to collect the inheritance.

The Chagrin production works the farce exceedingly well, so well, in =20
fact, that this cast and this director have taken Mr. Ludwig's =20
lightweight comedy and turned it into a laugh riot with a romantic =20
twist.

You can't help being reminded of Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis from the =20
classic "Some Like it Hot." There's even a scene on a train. But Mr. =20
Ludwig isn't about to make excuses for this. The resemblance goes no =20
further.

When the two brutish-looking women turn up at the home of the late =20
Florence Snider, they find the old lady to be still very much alive. =20
And that's just one of the many twists in the plot.

While Leo and Jack switch back and forth from women to men, they some =20
how fall madly in love with two of the young women they've just met. =20
The fortune they came for suddenly loses its luster.

Director Barbara L. Rhoades is at thepeak of her powers this time out. =20
She's done an exceptional job of casting and manages to get =20
astonishing performances from her well-chosen cast.

Brian McCann, as Leo, is a comic wizard as he leads his pack of loonies.

As Jack, Eric Oswald, the oversized Maxine, or is it Stephanie, plays =20
off of Leo's lead so well that we witness a bright new comedy team in =20
action.

The excellent cast members all bring the comedy together. Yvonne E. =20
Pilarczyk, as the aunt who just won't die, does her usual exceptional =20
work.

Lisa Tarr, as the third niece, is a bright spot, as is Maggie McSherry =20
Wise, especially as a roller-skating bar-hop and again as a tough-guy =20
makeshift Shakespearian actor in a nutty version of "Twelfth Night."

Bob Fortlage, as the quack doctor, gives the part more laughs than it =20
deserves, and Bob Fadeley does his best work to date as the suspicious =20
minister.

Edmond Wolff's peach-colored grand-mansion set with French doors and a =20
towering staircase is quite a marvel. Tara Holman's outlandish =20
costumes are startling. She's been able to bring even more laughs with =20
her wildly funny dresses for Leo and Jack.

"Leading Ladies" is an easy evening of laughs. What makes the play =20
work as well as it does is the cast, director, set designer and =20
costumer. This one can't miss. See it.

   ###

Links:
------
[1] http://www.CVLT.org

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<font size=3D"4"></font><div align=3D"center">--- <i>LEADING LADIES</i>
---</div><div align=3D"center">
Fri/Sat at 8:00 through May 19th<br />
Call 440-247-8955 for tickets<br />
Ask about our Champagne Soire=E9 prior to the show on May 11th.</div><div
align=3D"center"><font size=3D"2"></font></div><div align=3D"center"></div><=
div
align=3D"center"><font size=3D"2">ALSO at CVLT:</font><br /><br /><font
size=3D"2"><i>MISS MARGARIDA'S
WAY</i></font><br /><font size=3D"2">
at the River Street Playhouse (56 River St.)</font><br /><font size=3D"2">
May 4- 5, 11-12, 17-18 at 8:00 PM</font><br /><font size=3D"2">
$8 - adults only please!</font><br /><i><br /><font size=3D"2">
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM</font></i><br /><font size=3D=
"2">
OPEN AUDITIONS  MAY 6th & 7th</font></div><div align=3D"center"><div
align=3D"center"><font size=3D"2"></font></div>

</div><p>
<font size=3D"4"></font></p><div align=3D"center">Visit <a
href=3D"http://www.CVLT.org">www.CVLT.org</a> for details!</div><p><font
size=3D"5">
"This 'Shakespeare' is wildly funny"</font><br />
by Herb Hammer, Chagrin Valley Times<br />
<br />
Jack and Leo, a couple of down-and-out British Shakespearian actors, are tou=
ring
small towns in the United States, performing "Scenes From
Shakespeare," when they learn of the death of a rich matriarch in York,
Pa. They soon find she has left two-thirds of her fortune to two English nie=
ces
she had never seen. This is when the fun begins.<br />
<br />
Ken Ludwig's "Leading Ladies' had its world premiere at the Cleveland P=
lay
House in 2004. The play has landed at the Chagrin Valley Little Theatre.<br =
/>
<br />
As he has in the past with other works, such as 'Moon Over Buffalo", Mr=
.
Ludwig places his action back 50 years. By giving old-style comedy a new, fr=
esh
look and feel, he is able to make the laughs come quick and easy without
cluttering up the plot with action that has to make any sense.<br />
<br />
Guys in dresses always make audiences laugh. In "Leading Ladies," =
Jack
and Leo turn themselves into Maxine and Stephanie and appear at the York man=
sion
in Cleopatra and Titania costumes they've gathered from their Shakespeare
wardrobe. They're ready to collect the inheritance.<br />
<br />
The Chagrin production works the farce exceedingly well, so well, in fact, t=
hat
this cast and this director have taken Mr. Ludwig's lightweight comedy and
turned it into a laugh riot with a romantic twist.<br />
<br />
You can't help being reminded of Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis from the classi=
c
"Some Like it Hot." There's even a scene on a train. But Mr. Ludwi=
g
isn't about to make excuses for this. The resemblance goes no further.<br />
<br />
When the two brutish-looking women turn up at the home of the late Florence
Snider, they find the old lady to be still very much alive. And that's just =
one
of the many twists in the plot.<br />
<br />
While Leo and Jack switch back and forth from women to men, they some how fa=
ll
madly in love with two of the young women they've just met. The fortune they
came for suddenly loses its luster.<br />
<br />
Director Barbara L. Rhoades is at thepeak of her powers this time out. She's
done an exceptional job of casting and manages to get astonishing performanc=
es
from her well-chosen cast.<br />
<br />
Brian McCann, as Leo, is a comic wizard as he leads his pack of loonies.<br =
/>
<br />
As Jack, Eric Oswald, the oversized Maxine, or is it Stephanie, plays off of
Leo's lead so well that we witness a bright new comedy team in action.<br />
<br />
The excellent cast members all bring the comedy together. Yvonne E. Pilarczy=
k,
as the aunt who just won't die, does her usual exceptional work.<br />
<br />
Lisa Tarr, as the third niece, is a bright spot, as is Maggie McSherry Wise,
especially as a roller-skating bar-hop and again as a tough-guy makeshift
Shakespearian actor in a nutty version of "Twelfth Night."<br />
<br />
Bob Fortlage, as the quack doctor, gives the part more laughs than it deserv=
es,
and Bob Fadeley does his best work to date as the suspicious minister.<br />
<br />
Edmond Wolff's peach-colored grand-mansion set with French doors and a tower=
ing
staircase is quite a marvel. Tara Holman's outlandish costumes are startling=
.
She's been able to bring even more laughs with her wildly funny dresses for =
Leo
and Jack.<br />
<br />
"Leading Ladies" is an easy evening of laughs. What makes the play
work as well as it does is the cast, director, set designer and costumer. Th=
is
one can't miss. See it.<br />
</p><p align=3D"center">###</p>
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Chagrin Valley Little Theatre's "/LEADING LADIES/" garners rave review =20
from Chagrin Valley Times reviewer Herb Hammer... read below!

  --- /LEADING LADIES/ ---
Fri/Sat at 8:00 through May 19th
Call 440-247-8955 for tickets
Ask about our Champagne Soire=E9 prior to the show on May 11th. ALSO at CVLT=
:

/MISS MARGARIDA'S WAY/
  at the River Street Playhouse (56 River St.)
  May 4- 5, 11-12, 17-18 at 8:00 PM
  $8 - adults only please!

  A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO THE FORUM
  OPEN AUDITIONS=A0 MAY 6th & 7th

   Visit www.CVLT.org[1] for details!

    "This 'Shakespeare' is wildly funny"
by Herb Hammer, Chagrin valley Times