The Boys Next Door

Last night Tim and I went to see “The Boys Next Door” at Park Players. I knew several people in the show either directly or indirectly and one of the cast members had borrowed a wig of mine for the play. I try to support my friends when they do shows whenever I can, but I always go to see family members in plays! (I am speaking about the wig, of course! As it turns out, they did not use my wig. The director brought it to me before the show so the wig and I could watch together!)

Tim and I were not really sure what to expect. I had read the review earlier in the week, but I have not seen or read the play before. We were both pleasantly surprised. I have to say that between a much smaller audience than this work warranted and the usual Saturday night dud audience, the laughter was quiet the first portion of the play. In this world of political correctness I know there were times I wanted to laugh, but was not sure if it was appropriate. Eventually it became too funny not to laugh. And as the director asked in his notes, we were laughing with these characters and not at them!

As usual, I try to write responses to plays, not reviews. I have to say that when I worked for a couple of weeks at Park Players last winter, I was underwhelmed with their facility. Our group came in to do a show we had staged elsewhere so no big set was prepared and there were definitely obstacles to overcome. Last night the theatre was flipped around from when we used it and I thought it was so much more effective as well as actor (and audience) friendly that way! Also, the set was great! I am a stickler for details and have gone to plays where the unfinished set has distracted me from enjoying the show. One show in particular that we saw years ago at another theatre was set in a wealthy family’s home, yet there were no pictures on the walls, unpainted doors and only partial baseboards with no paint. Last night the set was beautifully finished with every detail taken care of. The common area of an apartment was perfectly laid out including a full kitchen with wall hangings, knick knacks and completely finished moldings and doors! It was obvious that the set crew had worked their butts off as well as being very keen on detail work!

The cast did an excellent job of portraying a group of challenged individuals with humor and sensitivity. The review I had read earlier in the week mentioned that the “extra characters” were almost superfluous. I do not agree. They helped us see the main characters in other situations so that we got a better grasp on who each man was. Yes, the play could have gone on without the extra people, but just like in real life the people we come in contact with for short amounts of time in our life still have an impact on us, whether we notice it or not. Seeing Barry with the older lady next door helped us to have a frame of reference of how he reacted to the older generation so that when we saw him later with his dad, we immediately knew that it was eerily different. When the new neighbor stopped by we saw how the guys reacted to “company” in the apartment so that when a “lady friend” comes to visit Norman we see the similarities and differences in how she is then treated. Seeing Arnold with his boss let us see how he behaved in the work place and how that impacted his home life.

I felt for the actor playing Barry’s father, Mr. Klemper. In a play full of characters striving to do the best they can in life, Mr. Klemper was a hard and bitter man. Although he is only on stage a short amount of time, he changes the mood of the play and sends the character of his son into a whole new direction. It was heart breaking to watch as an audience member and also tough as a fellow actor. Having played a part where I was not a beloved character and separate from the rest of the cast, it is tough to do night after night.

All of the cast did a really good job! For someone like me, who loves to observe real people and really delve into characters, it gave me a lot to think about during the show and even later after I was home. Of course, credit always has to go to the director as well! The lighting was interesting, the cues seemed to go off without a hitch and the whole production sounded great! After my last review, where I talked about real community theatre versus the quasi-professional theatres in town, I have to say that Park Players seems to be among the community theatres that do their work at a high level with limited resources. It is definitely the kind of theatre company that we all need to support with our attendance. The show has 3 more performances next weekend and I strongly suggest you go out and support this group as well as enjoy a night of good entertainment!