Greater Tuna to debut Friday at community theater
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Chad Goebel (left) and Ian Row portrayed two radio hosts during rehearsals for Greater Tuna Thursday night at the Ritz Community Theatre. The theatre will stage the folksy comedy at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The Ritz Community Theatre is bringing back a familiar production in celebration of its 25th anniversary season. After a six-year absence, the theater will present Greater Tuna.
The three-performance run will be staged at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday.
Director Cassie Cochran said the show is guaranteed to generate plenty of laughter.
“It’s a Southern satire,” she said. “The audience will definitely find the performance funny. It’s an easy show to watch and gets you laughing, but they will also react to the performance. It’s almost like a mirror. This comedy exaggerates the lives of people in a small town in Texas, so the audience may even notice themselves or family members in the characters during the performance.”
Greater Tuna is set in the 1980s in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas.
Tuna’s citizens parade across the stage outrageously commenting on life, politics and what makes them tick.
The 20 characters — men, women and animals — are played by two actors who must change character throughout the performance.
Cast member Chad Goebel said learning the roles of 10 characters in three weeks was very challenging, but also a lot of fun.
“I’ve been a part of every Ritz Theatre production for the past two years and have done satire comedy before,” he said. “But I’ve never done anything like this. This is like a marathon. These characters take on a life of their own.”
Fellow cast member Ian Row agreed, adding he recognizes a few of his own family members in the characters he portrays.
“I want everyone to come out and see our hard work,” he said. “You are guaranteed a laugh and you just might see one of your family members in this performance. We had a lot of fun making this production.”
Cochran said after Saturday’s performance, the audience will have a chance to ask the director and cast members questions during a new interactive feature called TalkBacks.
“I hope for a good turnout. We still have tickets available so I encourage everyone to come and see the show,” Cochran said. “I have no doubt they will enjoy it. I wouldn’t say that it is funnier than other productions, but it is definitely on the same level as the other comedic productions. It’s a well known show that people have enjoyed watching for years.”