It is a treat to watch talented professionals do their thing, whether they are short order cooks in busy diners, policemen at intersections directing rush hour traffic or actors performing on stage at the top of their game.
I was fortunate to see the latter Sunday afternoon at Malibu Stage Company’s world premiere production of “A Night at the Oscars,” a comedy written by British playwright Peter Quilter. His hilarious “Glorious!” graced MSC’s stage two years ago.
The curtain time for Sunday’s performance was 2 p.m. to accommodate audience members to get to their television sets in time to see the real thing later in the afternoon.
The professionalism of the 11 cast members and stage crew was severely tested by a technical mishap that occurred just before curtain time-the lighting and sound cue systems went awry. When Diane Carroll, the play’s director, announced this, her offer of refunds was drowned out by the audience’s shouts of, “The show must go on.” The show did go on amazingly well, under full house lights and with the actors having to say, “And now the phone rings,” “And now the lights go out,” and “And at this point the doorbell rings.” The audience reacted with good humor and by the time the play ended, the actors and the audience had become happy colleagues. While I intend to revisit it to see the play without the technical problems, I doubt I will enjoy it more than I did this first time.
The plot of “A Night at the Oscars” deals with a husband and wife acting couple in the twilight of their careers, she more twilight than he. They are to perform at the Academy Awards ceremony and the play begins in their home as they prepare to leave for the event. It concludes with their performance and in between are flashbacks showing the wife’s career struggles. The dialogue is brisk and witty, and there are moments of poignancy in which the couple reflect on their advancing ages and their diminishing time together.
All of the performances were first rate. Susan Kohler played the wife with dazzling style and Brian Pietro was excellent as the solid, gentle and loving husband. Ernie Brandon, playing the couple’s rotund, boisterous gay agent, also gave a stellar performance in a riotously funny role. The entire cast responded to the technical problems in a consummately professional manner.
“A Night at the Oscars” will be at the MSC venue at 29243 Pacific Coast Highway through March 20. I recommend it unreservedly.