With a woman in a man's role, River City Players get crazy on stage

What happens when the community theater group has a shortage of males to fill the roles? They improvise when the right women steps up for the part.

In the River City Players' upcoming production, "The Crazy Time," Andrea Shovan plays a male character who doublecrosses the lead character and takes over his business.

"I've had to mentally prepare myself for it, but it helps knowing I can do it, because I've done it before," she said. "We've put padding in areas to make me look like a large man, and I let my eyebrows grow out. Mainly I've tried to emulate a character off of 'Seinfeld,' George's father Don, played by Jerry Stiller. That's been the major thing -- getting the voice down."

Shovan is a Cape Girardeau native who studied theater at Murray State University in Murray, Ky. She graduated in 1996 and later opened a small theater company in Illinois, where she said she directed about four plays including one where she played a male sheriff.

"The Crazy Time" director Debbie Barnhouse said Shovan's experience and her versatility in taking on the male role add to the hilarity of the production.

"She is very believable, and we have had a very fun time with it," Barnhouse said. "The reason I do comedies is real simple -- people don't want to go out for an evening of something sad, dark or drama. The way things are in the way in the world today, people need to laugh."

"The Crazy Time" revolves around Miles Gladstone, who Barnhouse said has it all: "a trophy wife, a successful business and a happy daughter."

That is, until things take a turn for the worst.

"His gorgeous wife takes off, his conniving partner cheats him out of his company and his daughter's marriage starts to crumble. Worst yet, Miles wants his ex-wife back, but she has had a complete makeover and is involved with someone half her age," she said. "This play is a totally entertaining comedy."

Aside from making people laugh, Barnhouse said she really enjoys the process of transforming the actors into their roles.

"I want them to be the character, not themselves," she said. "That's been fun, developing these characters and giving them a personality."

Sometimes this development includes transforming a woman into a man's part, as with the upcoming production. Shovan plays Jerry Conrad, Miles' business partner, who Barnhouse describes as the "funniest, yet conniving one person that you would really not want to be around."

Shovan's role was further developed with the help of fellow actress Melissa Wade, who plays Mile's ex-wife Kate and is the head instructor at Trendsetters.

"It's great having her," Barnhouse said. "She is not only a wonderful actor, but it is great to have a cosmetologist involved. She used a wig, cut and styled it, and a mustache for Andrea's character."

Wade also designed the look for Joe Reed, who plays Kirk Knudsen, Mile's ex-wife's new boyfriend.

"She cut Joe's hair short with highlights, and gave him a masculine, yet young person type beard," Barnhouse said. "And Joe plays the 28-year-old biker stud muffin so well."

The leading role of Miles is played by Joe Class, who Barnhouse said "when I say lead, he never gets to leave the stage. He has hundreds of lines."

Barnhouse said the play by Sam Bobrick is full of one-liners. Bobrick wrote for television series like "Andy Griffith" and "Saved By The Bell."

Dinner performances start Friday and Saturday and continue Nov. 12 and 13 at Port Cape's River City Yacht Club. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., a prime-rib buffet is served at 7 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m. A show-only performance is scheduled for 7 p.m. Nov. 11. Tickets cost $30 for dinner/show and $12 for the show only. Patrons should make a reservation by calling Port Cape at 334-0954.