Small town, big trouble

’Cheatin’’ is lowbrow, but high in laughs

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The Lansing Civic Players Guild want you to know it is revamping its image. Left with the basement of its costume shop, the Players have cleaned and reformed the space into a cozy black-box setting, albeit not one with tiered seating. Armed with the British subway logo and the fact it has been around for over 80 years, it is a streamlined version of its former self.

Its latest production, “Cheatin’’’ by Del Shores, comfortably fits within the stylistic niche of any of its past seasons with one major exception: the relative blatancy of sex and profanity. On a movie scale, “Cheatin’" would fit comfortably in a PG-13, but it is still a sex farce set in Texas with plenty of “aw, shit” to go around.

What separates this production from past LCP productions is the fact that it is genuinely funny. There is palpable romantic chemistry between the characters and the script includes some sizzling one-liners, whichthe actors revel in saying instead of just remembering to recite. Theproduction values are as minimal as ever and the humor is certainlylowbrow, but “Cheatin’” undeniably proves that there is still life in the Lansing Civic Players.

Onepositive step made by director Tony Sump is the casting of severalfresh faces to the LCP stage (at least within the last half-decade).The first is Leo Sell as Sid Cranford, the local bar owner and theplay’s narrator. Sell is a better singer than he is an actor, but hegrows into his role in the second half as the rest of the productionbegins to unravel.

His waitress and town gossip Maybelline Cartwright is played by Tippy Canal in his debutperformance. Canal’s characterization of Cartwright is refreshing inits lack of camp. It is easy to see the man beneath the mumu andmakeup, but Canal maintains the illusion by giving the character thedignity she deserves.

Asthe town’s simple-minded mailman, Bo Bob Jasper, Paul Levandowskisimilarly plays straight instead of mockingly, making the eventual romance between Bo Bob and Maybelline even sweeter.

Thecentral love entanglement involves Clarence Hopkins (Bob Purosky), SaraLee Turnover (Kat Cooper), Ovella Parsons-Wilks (Sandy VanLancker), andTeddy Joe Wilks (Tim Cody). In a sentence, each is involved with theright people and wrong people for the right reasons before they end upwith the right people for the right reasons.

Per Shores’ script, in small-town Texas sex really is a hobby.

Purosky,Cooper, VanLancker and Cody are excellent in their respective rolesmaking the love, hate and pain seem real despite the simple intentionsof the script.

Credit is also due to Sump, who cast the actors appropriately as well as steering them away from ever playing the joke.

Theonly real weak moments come in the second act, which on Saturday simplydid not feel as well-rehearsed. Dialogue temporarily turned intoimprovisation and some actors struggled to push through scenes.Hopefully the second weekend will see further polishing with a reducedrunning time.

“Cheatin’”brings LCP one step closer to turning into straight bawdy dinnertheater, but even without a meal, “Cheatin’” is delightful as a simple,sinful dessert.

’Cheatin’’

8p.m. Friday, March 26 and Saturday, March 27; 2 p.m. Sunday, March 28Lansing Civic Players 2300 E. Michigan Ave. $10 all seats (517)484-9115 www.lansingcivicplayers.org

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