Two-man show opens at Ritz Theatre Friday

Longtime friends Craig Robertson and Logan Tabor will star in A Tuna Christmas, written by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard.
The comedy features 22 roles and Robertson will portray six men and five women while Tabor will play seven men and four women.
A Tuna Christmas will be staged at the Ritz Community Theatre at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are $10 each and may be reserved by calling 573-5061.
The play is the second in a series set in the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, the third-smallest town in the state. The first part of the series is A Greater Tuna, which was performed at the Ritz in 2011. Other plays in the series are Red, White and Tuna and Tuna Does Vegas.
Robertson said the Ritz board of directors wanted to bring A Greater Tuna back to the Ritz stage for some time.
Robertson and Tabor have busy fall schedules so they have been rehearsing whenever they could get together.
The two-man production is a collaborative effort, according to Robertson.
“I’m more vocal. I’m the big picture person. Logan is detail oriented,” he said. “As soon as we started working together, we synced up right away,” Robertson said.
Switching characters on stage isn’t easy, Tabor said..
“I envision the character I want to be,” he said.
Off stage, Tabor repeats dialogue “that best encapsulates the character.” 
A few of the characters are holdovers from A Greater Tuna and that helped both actors prepare for the show.
To get into character, Robertson said, “I picture what the character looks like.”
Playing female roles isn’t any more difficult than becoming male characters on stage, Tabor said. “How well I understand the character is what really matters.”
Robertson said two of the strongest characters in the comedy are women.
Tabor said there is an art to dressing when playing multiple roles.
“Quick costume changes are nuts,” Robertson said. “A lot of action is involved.”
The stage is like a second home to the actors.
“Performing on stage makes me happy,” Tabor said. “I love theatre. It fulfills me. I love that the audience shares the experience.”
“I was eager to return to the Ritz stage so I could work with Logan again,” Robertson said.