RED, WHITE, AND TUNA – Written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears, and Ed Howard; Directed by Tom Bruett. Produced by the Bailey Theatre Company (Presented at the Glen Isle Resort, Bailey) through July 19. Tickets available at BaileyTheatreCompany.org.
At the end of a lovely summer’s evening drive up the hill to Bailey awaited restaurants featuring delicious food and a fun theatre evening featuring a couple of Denver’s best actors bringing to life a witty story about the All-American residents of tiny Tuna, Texas where everybody knows everybody and everybody’s business. Plus, it’s SO MUCH cooler up there.
Bill Bruner’s efforts to bring good theatre to his mountain town is really beginning to pay off. Jeff Jesmer and Matt Hindmarch are much in demand in Denver theatre because of their talent and charisma. They both go from show to show and continue to contribute to award-winning productions. RED, WHITE AND TUNA – while not a walk in the park for actors this talented – gave them both the opportunity to show off their silly sides. The script includes approximately 30 characters all brought to life by the two actors in a series of quick costume and wig changes – all residents of the third smallest town in Texas. While it doesn’t exactly glorify small town living, it doesn’t make it sound so bad either.
Built around a high school reunion on a recent fourth of July, it brings many of the characters from previous scripts about Tuna back to their hometown and the people they know and love. There’s not only a reunion going on, but there’s the very distinct possibility of a wedding happening if just a couple of little things can get worked out. If you grew up in a small town – and in most ways, didn’t we all? Even if that small town was part of a larger one? – you will recognize many of these personalities. The busybody who knows everybody’s business – the local self-important sheriff – the Tasty Kreme girls whose “prize-winning” potato salad has been out in the sun a little too long – the Smut Snatchers watching over the moral high ground – dear Petey Fisks attempts to find homes for all the wayward animal creatures (even resorting to out–of-this-world-solutions). We witness the broadcasters from local radio station OKKK giving us the news of the day – they did, they did, they did! Complete with sponsorship by Didi’s Used Weapon store (“If we can’t kill it, it’s immortal!”). All the way through to a honeymoon night at the local motel between the young newlyweds – embarrassing to everyone involved, even those watching. The light-hearted, high-energy, down-home humor goes on and on in the hands of these two talented actors.
The physical domain of the theatre itself is still a little rustic, but the technical aspects of the production took a huge leap forward from previous productions. The music and sound effects provided by master designer Rick Reid gave a realistic surround sound effect to the tiny theatre. The lighting design by Bri Angle gave us a spaceship landing, fireworks, and everything in between. Johnathan Underwood’s simple but effective costumes made the quick changes even quicker and kept us firmly locked into who each actor “was” at any given moment. And the whole package was kept running smoothly in the hands of Heidi Baker behind the board.
The problem is there’s only one more weekend to catch these polyester-clad citizens before they go back to Texas. Hie yourself up the mountain this weekend for a breath of fresh air, literally, by visiting Tuna, Texas by way of Bailey, Colorado. Oh, and Didi said to remind you she’s having a special this weekend on weapons powerful enough to take down a Big Foot! Just saying . . . .
A WOW factor of 8.25!!