By CARRIE NEAL
A Seat on the Aisle
Neil Simon gave us a treasure trove of beloved plays, musicals, and films over the course of his legendary career. Brighton Beach Memoirs and Biloxi Blues have always been particular favorites of mine. Rumors is the gold standard of farce for many, and The Odd Couple is so deeply entrenched in the collective consciousness that everyone knows what it means to be “an Oscar” or “a Felix.”
Come Blow Your Horn was Simon’s very first play, and while some may say it’s a museum piece that would be better off left in the archives, it’s fascinating to observe his meteoric growth as a playwright in such a short time.
For the uninitiated, of which I have to believe there are many, a brief synopsis:
Alan and Buddy are brothers. Buddy, the naive younger brother, looks up to Alan, who is something of a ladies’ man. Buddy leaves the family home to move into Alan’s Manhattan apartment, which jump starts his metamorphosis into a swinger just like his older brother. However, Alan’s heart is broken when he develops feelings for one of his many girlfriends, just as she realizes his true nature and leaves him. In effect, the brothers swap places, but the shallow nature of the womanizing life is emphasized throughout the piece.
Jeffrey Haber as Buddy and Adriana Menefee as Peggy. (Photo by Rob Slaven / IndyGhostLight.com)
The stage is nicely set at the Switch Theatre for a swinging ‘60s bachelor pad. The period-appropriate furniture pops with bright yellows and oranges, and the graphic wallpaper is reminiscent of the paper in my sister’s bedroom during that same era. The ladies are particularly well-costumed in vintage pieces that evoke the decade perfectly. Unfortunately, that attention to detail was inconsistent. Set dressing was incomplete, such as a huge five-shelf bookcase that only contained three or four objects and looked very bare. Two of the three male characters were in suits, but the third had no jacket and wore an extremely wrinkled shirt, as was the mother’s apron. Just a few minutes with an iron before each show would make an enormous difference.
As previously hinted at, the material is far from Simon’s best. It’s extremely dated, with many chauvinistic lines that didn’t age well at all. One line compares a woman’s high IQ to her high weight on the scale, where another refers to a woman as being too dumb to dial a telephone. The actors do their best, but it was clear that they were uncomfortable delivering such cringe-worthy clunkers. Josh Gibson as Alan and Jeffrey Haber as Buddy do the bulk of the heavy lifting for the show, and while they each have some nice moments, ultimately, they aren’t able to make a silk purse out of the sow’s ear of this material.
Alyssa Lay as Connie and Adriana Menefee as Peggy (the girlfriends) fare slightly better, partly because they don’t have to deliver such duds. Both young women are adorable and look like a million bucks in their sixties togs. But the real scene-stealers are Chris Otterman as Father and Vickie Phipps as Mother. The moment that Otterman enters as Father, his sonorous voice booms out and assures us that we’re in good hands, with a veteran actor who knows how to take his time and let the story tell itself. Ms. Phipps is an acerbic delight as Mother, and her solo scene with the telephone is a master class in comic timing and delivery.
The Belfry has a long and celebrated history in Hamilton County, and is producing fewer plays this year because they no longer have a permanent home. They are searching for support from both audience members and volunteers, now more than ever.
Come Blow Your Horn can be seen at the Switch Theatre in Fishers through Sept. 28, and tickets are available online at TheBelfryTheatre.com.
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