There’s not much wrong with the Denver Victorian Playhouse’s “Greater Tuna” that a few more butts in the seats couldn’t solve.
Co-stars Seth Maisel and Austin Terrell are an emerging stage duo specializing in quick-change comedies. Following their acclaimed turn in “Stones in His Pockets,” Maisel and Terrell have now brought 35 characters to life in just their past two plays together.
Here they play all the residents of Tuna, the third-smallest town in Texas. Yes, all of them: men, women, children and even animals.
In front of a full house, this 25-year-old yukfest makes for an irresistible and infectious lowbrow comedy. But in front of just a handful of self-conscious audience members, many townspeople come across as more venal than the silly they were intended to be.
These two deserve better, because they make a very good team. Terrell is the more relaxed of the two, striking a nice, easygoing tone as a kind of straight man (and woman) opposite Maisel’s more outlandish counterparts. Think Bob Newhart and Jerry Lewis.
If anything, Maisel is trying too hard to make up for the energy not coming back from the audience, which unintentionally makes characters like the cold-blooded, puppy-poisoning Pearl Burras seem hateful. His “sweetest” invention, Bertha Bumiller, touts her work for the committee, “Fewer Blacks in Literature.”
Maisel’s heart is in the right place, and he’s working himself into a sweat, but he could stand to dial it down a bit and just let this tried-and-true comedy do the work for him. That’s what Terrell does so well, effortlessly portraying lads like poor Petey Fisk, the sweet Humane Society flack who’s trying to rescue everything from ducks to dogs to gekkos here in the hunting capital of the world.
The lack of laughter makes director Wade Wood’s “Tuna” an uncomfortably funny town. Because at the core, it’s filled with stupid, blithely racist bigots. It’s a place where the winning school essay is “Human Rights: Why Bother?” Where a teen callously murders a judge for sending him to reform school. Where “Roots” is banned for its one-sided view of slavery.
Laughter builds and feeds upon itself in a theater, so with the right comic tone, that can all come across as playful and funny stuff. Here, there’s an underlying sadness that people like this actually exist.
That’s not what made “Tuna” the most produced play in America all the way back in 1985. It’s because it was funny. What’s missing is the affection we should still feel for these simple fools.
When most people think of “Tuna” in Colorado, they think of Bryan Foster and the late Duane Black, who perfected their characterizations in more than 1,000 performances. Maisel and Terrell won’t make anyone forget those two, and who would want them to? They’re just about 994 performances behind.
But they are funny guys, made funnier by Susan Lyles’ horribly clever costumes.
In these depressing economic times, it’s good to have a dumb comedy to laugh at.
These young actors are doing their part(s). Now it’s time for audiences to do theirs.
John Moore: 303-954-1056 or jmoore@denverpost.com
“Greater Tuna” **1/2 (out of four stars)
Quick-change comedy. Denver Victorian Playhouse. Written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard. Directed by Wade Wood. Through April 25. 1 hour, 55 minutes. 7:30 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays. $22. 303-433-4343 or
Audio podcast: Running Lines with Rod Lansberry and Randal Keith
This week, artistic director Rod Lansberry and “Nine” star Randal Keith discuss the newly announced Arvada Center slate with Denver Post theater critic John Moore. Run time: 9 minutes. To listen,
This week’s best bets
“A Prayer for Owen Meany” The Denver Center Theatre Company presents a stage adaptation of John Irving’s darkly comic novel, “A Prayer for Owen Meany.” It’s about a dwarfish boy with a strange voice who accidentally kills his best friend’s mom with a baseball and comes to believe he is an instrument of God. Through April 25. Note: Read our interview with John Irving coming up in Sunday’s Denver Post. Denver Center Theatre Company, Stage Theatre, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets. 6:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; 7:30 p.m. Fridays; 1:30 and 7:30 p.m. Saturdays through April 25. $25-$51. 303-893-4100 (800-641-1222 outside Denver), all King Soopers or
“Trunks” The fourth season of Buntport Theater’s ongoing, always original biweekly comic-book serial for kids, ends Saturday, April 4, with performances at 1 and 3 p.m. The clever story follows three young superheroes – The Germ, The Volt and The Cute – and their parrot, who are cleaning up the streets of Dendiggityopolis. Each episode is based on a suggestion from the previous sudience. This one: “The Reuctant Dragon.” Recommended for ages 4 and up. $4-$6. 717 Lipan St., 720-946-1388 or
This weekend’s other theater openings
“Anon(ymous)”
A young refugee named Anon, separated from his mother, flees his war-torn country and journeys to the U.S., where he must rely on his instinct, resilience and humor as he navigates the chaotic, changing landscape. Written by Naomi Iizuka and based on Homer’s “The Odyssey.” Through May 2. Presented by OpenStage & Company at the Lincoln Center, 417 W. Magnolia St., Fort Collins, 970-221-6730 or
“Cups”
Joni Sheram’s one-woman play traces the milestones of a woman’s life through her bras, which she sees as a metaphor for her tales of womanhood. Through April 25. Presented by Modern Muse at the Bindery Space, 770 22nd St., 303-780-7836 or
“Murder on Pirate Island”
Interactive dinner-theater mystery comedy in which pirate crews from all over the world have assembled to crown the new Pirate King. Through May 30. Adams Mystery Playhouse, 2406 Federal Blvd., 303-455-1848 or
“Romeo and Juliet”
Shakespeare’s tragedy about the star-crossed young lovers whose feuding families will never allow them to follow their hearts. Through May 3. Vintage Theatre, 2119 E. 17th Ave., 303-839-1361 or
“Well”
Lisa Kron’s cleverly staged memoir covers growing up in a household full of allergies and social activism. Lisa soon loses control of her own storytelling and things spin into a riotously comic universe when her mother interrupts the proceedings in order to set the record straight. Through May 10. Bas Bleu Theatre, 401 Pine St., Fort Collins, 970-498-8949 or
Compiled by John Moore
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