?Bad Year for Tomatoes,? a great time for audience

Rachel Nicola

Washington Community Theater

    ?A Bad Year for Tomatoes? is a happy farce resulting from an aging television actress trying to find peace and quiet in a small town. Famous Myra Marlowe, played by Lynn Klein, thinks she has found tranquility when, thanks to a flat tire, she finds Beaver Haven. Her agent, Tom Lamont (Ethan Henderson), tries to woo her back to Hollywood ? and himself ? but she?s lured by the charms of growing tomatoes. Klein has found just the right combination of spunky disgust at the artificiality of Hollywood and bemused astonishment at the equally quirky reality of country living. Henderson is all urban polish and style. His country opposite is Piney, played with toothless good cheer by Michael McNurlen, who very nearly steals the show when Piney falls in love. It takes three females to provide a foil for the formidable Myra Marlowe. But together the ?hospitality ladies? Reba Harper (Angela Carr) and Cora Gump (Gina Bennett) are determined to break down their new neighbor?s reserve. Carr?s physical presence is overwhelming: it?s a sight gag that has to be seen to be appreciated. And all of Reba goes in motion when Carr describes the joy of Brother Leviticus?s prayer meetings. Cora?s most delightful trait is her vocal range. Bennett packs an aria?s worth of notes into her thoughtful, just slightly tipsy ?hmmmm?s. When Reba and Cora square off against Willa, their colorblind, ?occult? neighbor who also is determined to offer goodwill to Myra, it?s a grand cat fight.

    Myra dreams up a sure-fire plan to clear her house of nutty neighbors and the farce thickens.  When things look downright deadly, the sheriff (Larry Sanders) shows up, bringing a properly professional stance to calm the lunatic proceedings: ?Somebody has got to be somebody around here!? he exclaims. Even when all is explained, the good citizens of Beaver Haven keep their more-than-slightly-wacky view of life. And Hollywood, even without tomatoes, starts looking attractive again to Myra.