September 13, 2014

Where could one get a night filled with entertainment, featuring everything from a dog girl, to a cat chick, to two star-crossed lovers, and a father who gets panic-stricken when his daughter locks herself in the bathroom on her wedding day? It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but for SEMO Little Theater, in Kennett, it was a great success. ...

Photo by Laura Ford, staff
Jennifer Eastham (L), as daughter Mimsy, Doug Cripe, as the father, and Staci Cripe (R), as the mother, in SEMO Little Theater's production of Neil Simon's stage comedy, "Plaza Suite," Act III, staged last weekend during the annual Kennett Fall Into Arts Festival
Photo by Laura Ford, staff Jennifer Eastham (L), as daughter Mimsy, Doug Cripe, as the father, and Staci Cripe (R), as the mother, in SEMO Little Theater's production of Neil Simon's stage comedy, "Plaza Suite," Act III, staged last weekend during the annual Kennett Fall Into Arts Festival

Where could one get a night filled with entertainment, featuring everything from a dog girl, to a cat chick, to two star-crossed lovers, and a father who gets panic-stricken when his daughter locks herself in the bathroom on her wedding day? It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but for SEMO Little Theater, in Kennett, it was a great success. The theater performances were all part of last weekend's annual Fall into Arts Festival, offered free to the public. In both of the Friday and Saturday night shows, audience members enjoyed three, one-act performances, "Super Hero Support Group," and Acts II and III of the Neil Simon stage comedy, "Plaza Suite."

"Super Hero Support Group," presented by area youth, was directed by Marilyn Jones, of Kennett, and was written by D.M. Larson. The play opened with a comical group of super heroes sitting on a couch in a medical clinic. These heroes have grown tired of carrying the weight of the world on their shoulders, so they have turned to a super hero doctor who will, ultimately, take away their powers. The play is a comical look into that long wait in the doctor's office, and the battle - not between good and evil - but between the ultimate decision whether to keep their powers or have them removed. The cast included Dog Girl, played by Meg Mobley, 12, of Kennett; Cat Chick, played by Kimberly Westmorlan, 14, of Hornersville, Mo.; Smack, played by Ray Solijon, 14, of Kennett; Shade, played by Molly McClain, 12, of Kennett; the Doctor, played by Chloe Morrison, 14, of Kennett; and Caper, played by Jacob Deck, 16, of Kennett.

The second performance, "Plaza Suite's" Act II, was set in the legendary New York City Plaza Hotel, Suite 179, on two different days, during the late 1960's. Directed by Mrs. Jones husband, Bill, the performance starred Chris Kaiser as Jesse, a famous Hollywood writer, director, and producer, who has returned to his hometown, awaiting the arrival of his old high school sweetheart, Muriel, played by Jennifer Eastham, of Kennett. This was Eastham's first performance with the SEMO Little Theater, and she said she was somewhat nervous. However, considering how nervous her character was, it only helped enhance her performance. Eastham's character was a married woman looking to get a glimpse of her old boyfriend, to see if the old fire still smoldered. Needless to say, a comical, clumsy evening ensued.

The theater followed in the timeless tradition of saving the best for last, in presenting Act III of "Plaza Suite," as the evening's final performance. Also directed by Bill Jones, the production starred Staci and Doug Cripe in outstanding performances as Norma and Roy, a married couple, whose daughter, Mimsy, is getting married in one of the hotel banquet halls, thus costing the couple a small fortune. Like most weddings, it never goes as planned, and panic is played out, as the two try to coax their daughter from the bathroom in which she has barricaded herself. The hilarity of Norma ripping a tail from Roy's tux, as he climbs out the seventh-story window to peer into the bathroom, is only heightened by a sudden storm that soaks him to the bone. The laughs continued to the end, as the two actors sparred back and forth, bickering about who was to blame for Mimsy's reluctance to marry and the bathroom fiasco. Mimsy was also played by Eastman. Borden, Mimsy's fiance, was played by Kaiser.

Audience comments were positive, as people streamed out of the theater, praising the actors. The SEMO LIttle Theater puts on several performances a year to promote the arts in Kennett. For those who missed this performance, there will be more.

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