Moon Over Buffalo

Moon Over Buffalo

Moon Over Buffalo is a 1995 comic play by Ken Ludwig set in Buffalo, New York in 1953. This play marked the return of Carol Burnett to the Broadway stage, after 30 years.[1]

Contents

Characters

  • George Hay, a traveling actor.
  • Charlotte, George's wife and actress in his company.
  • Rosalind, Roz, George & Charlotte's daughter, who left the stage to lead a "normal" life.
  • Howard, a TV weatherman and Rosalind's fiancé.
  • Paul, stage manager for George's company, and Rosalind's ex-fiancé.
  • Ethel, Charlotte's nearly-deaf mother.
  • Richard, a love sick lawyer who is courting Charlotte.
  • Eileen, an actress in George's company who was George's "one-night-stand."

Overview

Moon Over Buffalo relies heavily on situation comedy for its humor, as well as some sexual innuendo and a little slapstick. The actor who plays George, in particular, must be able to deliver a highly physical performance; George engages in a mock fencing match with Charlotte, a wrestling match with Howard, and a stunt fall into the orchestra pit. The action and dialogue are fast-paced, as the characters are constantly bickering or frantically trying to resolve some confusion.

George and Charlotte Hay, traveling actors, are performing Cyrano de Bergerac and Private Lives in a repertory theatre in Buffalo. Charlotte has grandiose dreams of becoming a Hollywood film star; George, on the other hand, is quite satisfied as a stage actor, and sees live theater as being superior to film.

George receives a phone call from Frank Capra, a very famous film director, who says that he needs replacements for Ronald Colman and Greer Garson, the two stars of his current film, The Twilight of The Scarlet Pimpernel, and that he plans to see one of George's shows and consider George and Charlotte for the parts. Charlotte, however, doesn't believe George when he gives the news; she has just learned that George has had an affair with one of their actors, Eileen, and that Eileen is pregnant with George's child. Charlotte tells George she plans to leave with Richard, a successful and charismatic lawyer. George, despondent, gives up hope and turns to alcohol to drown his misery.

When Charlotte reads the news about Capra losing his actors, she returns to the theater, only to find that George has left. Charlotte and Rosalind (their daughter who has recently come to visit) contact all the bars in the city, looking for him. They can't find him, but Charlotte does meet Howard, Roz's new fiancé, whom Charlotte's hard-of-hearing mother mistakenly introduces as Frank Capra. Thinking that Howard is the famous director, Charlotte gives him the "red carpet" treatment, for which Howard is grateful, but confused. And when George returns, he believes that Howard is actually Eileen's brother, seeking revenge for George's affair with Eileen. In what he thinks is self-defense, George ties up the innocent Howard and locks him in a closet.

When Charlotte and Roz finally meet George again, they try to get him prepared for the afternoon's showing of Private Lives, which Capra intends to see. George, in his drunken stupor, decides he would rather do Cyrano, and dresses appropriately. The resulting show is a disaster, as George is several minutes late to arrive onstage and in the wrong costume and character. In the end, Howard, still bound in ropes, hops onstage and calls out for help; then George falls into the orchestra pit, presumably breaking a few instruments and sending him to the hospital.

After the show, a sober George offers his apology to Howard. Brushing that aside, Howard announces that he has met an old love and in walks Eileen. Howard and Eileen have decided to get engaged and eagerly plan to start a family right away. Everyone is relieved... and happy. Now that Roz is single, Paul takes the opportunity to propose to her, and they get engaged again on the spot. Charlotte forgives — or at least forgets — George's infidelity and decides to stay with him instead of Richard. Finally, in a deus ex machina-like plot twist, Capra himself calls to say that he missed the afternoon performance and will instead see the show in the evening, thus allowing George and Charlotte another chance at Hollywood stardom.

Productions

Directed by Tom Moore, Moon Over Buffalo opened on Broadway at the Martin Beck Theatre on October 1, 1995, [2]where it ran for 309 performances, after 22 previews and an out-of-town tryout in Boston. Philip Bosco was nominated for the Tony Award, Best Actor in Play and Carol Burnett was nominated for the Tony Award, Best Actress in a Play.[3]

The play opened in London at the Old Vic under the title Over The Moon in October 2001. Directed by Ray Cooney, the cast starred Frank Langella and Joan Collins.[4]

The D.A. Pennebaker documentary video entitled Moon Over Broadway follows the show from rehearsal period through Broadway opening. The film documents the time during tryouts when the play had to be stopped due to a technical problem and Burnett "for half an hour just did the Carol Burnett Show. She's born to be out there."[5] [6]

Original Broadway cast

Source: New York Times[2]

During the original run, Carol Burnett and Philip Bosco were temporarily replaced by Lynn Redgrave and Robert Goulet while on extended vacations.[7]

References

  1. ^ Gerard, Jeremy.Moon Over Buffalo'" Variety, October 1, 1995
  2. ^ a b Canby, Vincent."THEATER REVIEW; Carol Burnett, Game and Goofy, Opens the Season" The New York Times, October 2, 1995
  3. ^ "Tony Awards, 1996" Broadwayworld.com, accessed August 21, 2011
  4. ^ "London 'Moon Over Buffalo' Changes Name to 'Over the Moon'" Playbill, September 18, 2001
  5. ^ Lefkowitz, David and Paller, Rebecca."Burnett Shines in Moon Documentary, Opening Feb. 18" Playbill, February 18, 1998
  6. ^ Gleiberma, Owen."'Moon Over Broadway'" Entertainment Weekly, March 20, 1998
  7. ^ Listing Ken Ludwig.com, accessed August 21, 2011

External links


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать курсовую

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Moon — This article is about Earth s Moon. For moons in general, see Natural satellite. For other uses, see Moon (disambiguation) …   Wikipedia

  • Buffalo Bayou — is a main waterway flowing through Houston, in Harris County, Texas, USA. It begins on the west side of the county near Katy, Texas and flows approximately convert|53|mi|km east to the Houston Ship Channel and then into Galveston Bay and the Gulf …   Wikipedia

  • Moon Zappa — Moon unit redirects here. For the space vehicle, see lunar rover. Moon Zappa Moon Zappa, 1988 Born Moon Unit Zappa 28 September 1967 (1967 09 28) …   Wikipedia

  • Buffalo Gals — is a traditional American song, written down and published as Lubly Fan in 1844 by the blackface minstrel John Hodges, who performed as Cool White . It was widely popular throughout the United States, and minstrels altered the lyrics to suit the… …   Wikipedia

  • Over-Nite Sensation — Studio album by Frank Zappa The Mothers Released September 7, 1973 Re …   Wikipedia

  • Buffalo Bill — Infobox Person name = William Frederick Cody image size = 200px caption = birth name = birth date = February 26, 1846 birth place = near Le Claire, Iowa, United States death date = dda|1917|1|10|1846|2|26 death place = Denver, Colorado, United… …   Wikipedia

  • Buffalo Hump — Infobox Person name = Buffalo Hump caption = birth name = Potsana Kwahip in Comanche birth date = 1790s to early 1800s birth place = Edward s Plateau, Texas death date = 1870 death place = Fort Sill, Oklahoma| other names = known for = A famous… …   Wikipedia

  • 1993 Buffalo Bills-Houston Oilers Wild Card playoff game — NFL single game infobox name=The Comeback caption= visitor=Houston Oilers visitor abbr=HOU visitor coach=Jack Pardee visitor record=10 6 home=Buffalo Bills home abbr=BUF home coach=Marv Levy home record=11 5 visitor qtr1=7 visitor qtr2=21 visitor …   Wikipedia

  • Warren Moon — Infobox NFLretired caption=Warren Moon at Halo 3 launch in Seattle position=Quarterback number=1 birthdate=birth date and age|1956|11|18 Los Angeles, California debutyear=1978 finalyear=2000 undraftedyear=1978 college=Washington teams= * Edmonton …   Wikipedia

  • White buffalo — Alternate meanings: White Buffalo (disambiguation) American buffalo (technically bison) are normally brown in color.Rarely, white buffalo are born. White Buffalo are considered to be sacred signs in several Native American religions, and thus… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”