Review: SHOW FOR DAYS OPENS AT THE BLACK BOX IN KANSAS CITY

Fishtank Theatre opened its first show at their new home, The Black Box, with the hilarious comedy SHOW FOR DAYS. Though several productions by other companies have already been staged at the new theater this is the inaugural show for Heidi Van's Fishtank Theatre. The show runs through February 29 at the theater located in the historic West Bottoms district of Kansas City, Missouri.

From the writer of THE NANCE, XANADU, AND ROGER'S AND HAMMERSTEIN'S, CINDERELLA comes a comical inside look at behind the scenes operations of community theater. Characters in the play describe the relationship with the theater as a family. Writer Douglas Carter Beane has taken his assorted dysfunctional family members and created a tale of the theater as told by Car, a playwright.

Heidi Van the Producing Artistic Director for Fishtank Theatre wears many hats for SHOW FOR DAYS. Besides directing a very talented cast of actors, she and Mark Exline provided scenic design, and she was the props manager for the show. Heidi demonstrates a particular flair for producing comedy that keeps the audience laughing throughout the evening.

Seth Golay is brilliant as Car the playwright who narrates the tale, beginning as a 14-year-old boy and progressing to his becoming a renowned playwright. He goes into the small theater to waste time while waiting for a bus and to help in any way he can. Nancy Nail magnificently plays Sid, the jack-of-all-trades for the company who tells him he can paint a portion of the theater while he waits. At the drop of a hat, he is promoted by Irene (a fabulous portrayal by Krista Eyler), the producer, director, actor, and demon spawn of the theater group, from a painter, to actor and then playwright as he is tasked with developing an original piece for them to produce.

Elise Poeling as Maria, the dim-witted actress in the community theater, is marvelous bringing an abundance of energy to the stage as does Christopher Barksdale-Burns, who plays Clive. I can't say that everything Clive said or did made me laugh, but only because he may have whispered something backstage. I started smiling every time the two of them entered the stage. Timothy Michael Houston brings to life Damien, the actor who has a fling with Irene and the then under-aged Car.

SHOW FOR DAYS is a side-splitting romp that should not be missed at The Black Box. The show runs through February 29. For tickets online go to https://www.artful.ly/fishtank-theatre.

Photos by Micah Thompson