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It’s no Romeo, which is how ‘Check Please’ delivers
2/17/2010 12:34:48 PM
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Splash Staff Writer
"Check Please" is billed as a Cupidoscopy of sorts, a procedural grimace intended to return balance to the universe a week after the flowers-and-fluff schmaltziness that is Valentine's Day. Yet it may be your best date opportunity in 2010.
Liberty Lake Community Theatre's first production of its second season is a laugh-out-loud look at blind dates. The play chronicles no less than 30 close encounters of the worst kind that make even awkward Joes like me seem like Fabio. (Thankfully, my wife sat next to me at Monday's screening.)
"Check Please" alternates between Kate (Liberty Lake's Vicki Weaver, already a capable lead in her second stage appearance) and Chris (LLCT board member Kevin Kuecken, who also produces the play), as they embark on a series of doomed dinner dates. The parts call for lots of rolling eyes and contorted faces, but Weaver and Kuecken shine brightest when they play along with the dates, sometimes as strategic sabotage.
Fourteen supporting cast members rotate through as absolutely terrible dates, and all were believable to the point I fear for their real-life relationships. Among an abundance of unique and clever portrayals, my favorite might have to be Challys Resta as the can't-miss Linda, a schizophrenic who misplaced her medication. Liberty Lake's Bryan Westby doesn't appear to be the stage novice he really is, nailing the eccentric stereotype in turns as hand-kissing Ken and "extreme" accountant Dewey. Other favorites include Isaiah Estes as delusional rocker Jones, Jessica True as gr8;) online date Jackie and Jean Simpson as a grandma with her groove on.
For sheer talent, it is hard to top versatile Liberty Lake residents Eric Agnew and Emily Powers, who take turns as hilarious dates but save their strongest performances as Hank and Kim, respective best friends to the protagonists.
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"Check Please" is LLCT's fifth production, and the first directed by founding President Jennifer Ophardt, who has been commendably resolute in bringing family-friendly community theater to Liberty Lake despite numerous obstacles. Last spring, without a stage to call home, the group even called off one production when too few people auditioned. Momentum seems to have turned. The cast of 16 for "Check Please" includes seven LLCT first-timers.
One huge step forward happened in August, when the ever-generous Jim Frank of Greenstone attended a Pavillion Park performance of "Law and Order: Fairy Tale Unit" with members of his family. They enjoyed it so much, Frank offered Ophardt the old city library space in Greenstone's Liberty Square Building until a paying tenant is found. "Check Please" is the third LLCT performance in what has been turned into a 112-seat theater that feels cozy but maximizes every inch of space (I, for one, am glad to give up a wide aisle in exchange for the popcorn machine).
If you haven't seen a LLCT performance yet, "Check Please" is a perfect place to start, so long as you don't have your heart set on Casablanca. "Check Please" is the type of show to watch when you want to unwind from a long week. It substitutes a collection of character sketches for character development, and what little plot there is to follow is really backseat anyway to this amusing swing on a wrecking ball of romance.
So bring money for concessions, and by all means, bring a date. If she calls you by the wrong name, don't sweat it. Judged against the procession on stage, it will probably be "Romeo."
Josh Johnson is publisher of The Splash. Write to him at josh@libertylakesplash.com.
IF YOU GO
What: "Check Please"
When: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 6:30 p.m.; Saturday matinee, 2 p.m.
Where: 1421 N. Meadowwood Lane, Suite 130, Liberty Lake
Admission: $9 ($7 for members), tickets sold at the door
Cast: Kevin Kuecken, Vicki Weaver, Emily Powers, Eric Agnew, Matt Ophardt, Carrie Estes, Bryan Westby, Chase Feldmann, Diana Zartman, Trey Julian, Jean Simpson, Isaiah Estes, Challys Resta, Jessica True, Alanna Hamilton and Cathy Kirsner
Crew: Jennifer Ophardt (director), Kevin Kuecken (producer), Ken Boles and Ron Maylott