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<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; background: none repeat scroll 0% 0% yellow;">‘Romantic Fools’ takes stage, audience
at Actors’ Summit</span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">1/20/2011 - <i>West Side</i><i> Leader</i></span></b><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12pt;"><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">By David Ritchey</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;" align="center"><b><i><span style="font-size: 24pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: red;">Production showcases physical comedy</span></i></b><b><span style="font-size: 24pt; font-family: "Times New Roman"; color: red;"></span></b></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">DOWNTOWN
AKRON — “Romantic Fools,” by Rich Orloff, is one of the most successful
productions to come our way in a long, long time. Hats off to Actors’ Summit
Theater for introducing local audiences to Orloff, a graduate of Oberlin College. </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">Orloff didn’t go for the
cute one-liners that were so popular a few years ago. He wrote this play in an
intelligent, witty style, with lines that make the audience laugh and then stop
and think. More is going on in this script than what appears on the surface.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">Orloff wrote a
three-character play, with Andrew (Keith Stevens), Lori (Shani Ferry) and the
audience. In the first scene, Andrew and Lori talk to the audience and engage
its members in their efforts to date someone. The Jan. 16 matinee audience
responded well to being a part of the cast.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">As Lori and Andrew go
through all of the problems of meeting, dating and, perhaps, marrying, they
keep the audience involved in the production by occasionally stopping the
action and talking to the audience. That helps make “Romantic Fools” the
perfect date play. Even if you’re married, you might enjoy a date with your
spouse for this production and talk about the play for days and nights.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">Each of the 11 scenes in
the play deals with a different dating problem. For example, Lori’s friend
wants her to meet a primitive man. He shows up in animal skins and brings her
flowers and a frozen steak. This is meat he has killed and prepared for her. He
doesn’t talk — he grunts, groans and growls.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">In the next scene,
“Nightmare With a Sexy Skirt,” Lori is the date from hell. In her efforts to
improve Andrew during their first date, she says, “I’ve some criticism about
you, too. You know. You want to see them? I wrote them down in the bathroom
after the movie.” Then she pulls out a long roll of toilet tissue with words
written all over it.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">Later in the scene, she
manages to handcuff him. Then she says to him: “I bet you’re great at cleaning
the oven ... by the way, do you happen to know what your annual adjusted gross
income is?”</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">The actors never drop
out of character or out of the good times of this production. Stevens, who
usually plays the handsome, romantic roles, finally gets a chance to do
physical comedy. He’s excellent in this physically challenging role. In one
scene, he has the chef hide an engagement ring in Lori’s dinner. Instead of
fish (which would be an easy place to hide the ring), she orders spaghetti.
Neither of them can find the ring. He removes his shirt and dives into the bowl
of spaghetti. Of course it’s a trick bowl and table. Finally, only his legs are
showing as he stands on his head in the spaghetti.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ferry usually plays the
cute romantic interest. In this production, however, she becomes the stronger
character in several scenes. She seems more adept at physical comedy than any
actress we’ve seen in this area in a long time. At one point, she dives across
the sofa in gymnast style.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">Each scene is directed
by a different director: Neil Thackaberry, Peter Voinovich, Daniel Taylor and
Shawn Galligan. On the surface this seems to have disaster written all over it.
Fortunately, the show moves smoothly from scene to scene with a harmony that is
difficult to find in many productions that are directed by only one director.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">Unfortunately, “Romantic
Fools” only runs through Jan. 30. I suspect this production could hold the
stage for a significantly longer run. That means those who want to see the show
need to call 330-374-9568 today for tickets.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">Remember, Actors’ Summit has moved to the
Greystone Hall, 103 S. High St.
The theater gets rave reviews for the covered parking deck just across the
street and a guy standing in front of the entrance to Greystone Hall to open
the door, offer directions and to provide security for the parking lots.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";">David Ritchey has a
Ph.D. in communications and is a professor of communications at The University of Akron. He is a member of the American
Theatre Critics Association.</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></p>
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