The Shawnee Theatre's second production of their 53rd season is of Ken Ludwig's farce Moon Over Buffalo. Kevin Guthridge, the Shawnee's producing director admits that over the years, "I've not been interested in farces. Most of them are poorly written and frankly just dumb."
But in 2009, the Shawnee's production of Ludwig's Lend Me a Tenor helped to change his mind. "It was a real success and the audience just loved it. Ken Ludwig is a master. He understands the form, how it works and its historical foundation in theatre."
This summer two of the actors who were in the production of Lend Me a Tenor that changed Guthridge‘s mind are back for Moon Over Buffalo. "Josh Carroll who is now my associate artistic producer and Gail Bray will be in the show. He plays the actor manager of a touring theatre company and she plays his actress wife."
"Josh has a pretty physical role. He's in mock fencing match with Gail. He has to wrestle another cast member and he even does a fall into the orchestra pit. Meanwhile Gail is simply the emotional center for the company and of course the show as well. "
Moon Over Buffalo is theatre about theatre. "Comic tensions abound, mishaps are regular occurrences and there's even room for some romance," concludes Guthridge.