Brevity is the Soul of Wit

By Darcie Flansburg
The Real Critics Editor/Publisher

Love is accidental; it isn't something that you can really plan for. But in Heartland Players' production "Accidental Love," Kitty and Ken's relationship is entirely unexpected, at least for them.
The play was based on a short story by Danielle Peterson and was adapted for the stage by Dimyana Pelev.

The story is reminiscent of the 1987 Goldie Hawn and Kurt Russell film "Overboard."  A rich woman hits her head and forgets who she is long enough for a very poor man to take advantage of her new ignorance. But instead of falling overboard, Kitty (played by Pelev) gets into an accident in a taxi that Ken (played by Anthony Story) drives at night.

The play was very humorous causing the Saturday, June 19, audience to guffaw at the physical and verbal comedy.

Pelev created some wonderful Lucille Ball moments as she struggled to clean, cook and take care of children, things that the character had never experienced before. Her struggle to figure out the vacuum was particularly hilarious.

Story and Pelev Co-Directed the play, which was surprisingly successful. When actors direct themselves the pictures created on stage can feel clustered or ill interpreted, but Story and Pelev appropriately staged and performed the piece.

Story was very charming as the leading man, but at times he seemed to stumble through his lines.

Jeff Groff was excellent as Joey, Ken's best friend. Joey played along with Ken's story, aided him in all his needs, and provided necessary comedic relief when Ken was feeling down about the situation he had created. Joey's midnight breakdown scene, in particular, was a truly shining moment for Groff in the play.

Tracy Pelev played Joey's girlfriend/fiance Suzanne. Tracy has a strong stage presence but she tends to overact. Her verve is wonderful, but in an intimate space like Heartland Players emotions and personality need to be more finely tuned.

The cast was rounded out by Hannah Bunker as Isabelle, William Chinnock as Willy, Laura Johnson as Vickie and Krista Curtis as Lillian.

Pelev did a good job of scripting the show, keeping the play under 2 hours, including intermission. But the brevity of the story did leave some holes. For example, Ken's decision to pretend that he and Kitty were married was never evident. The first 15 minutes of the play shows Ken telling his nieces, nephews and Joey about the terrible woman that is now passed out on his couch. But when Kitty wakes up and demands an explanation Ken, out of nowhere, says that he and Kitty are married. This could have used more of a set up; Ken's continuous belittling of the unconscious Kitty made it seem like he just wanted her to get out of his house without suing him. So the 14-year marriage and children that Ken created not only blind-sided Kitty, but also the audience.

There was also the fact that Kitty's purse, with her real ID, was under the couch the entire time. It is hard to believe that she cleaned and redecorated the house from top to bottom and never found her purse until Joey, randomly, found it at the end of the play, after Kitty had already discovered Ken's plot.

There were a few other loose ends that could have used more explanation and/or time to develop, but Pelev did a good job of keeping the pacing of the play strong in both the script and on stage.
It is always a good sign when the audience is surprised when the lights come up for intermission; this means they were so engaged in the play that food, drinks or potty breaks are not on their minds. The Heartland Players' production of "Accidental Love" was well received by the audience and a sincerely enjoyable experience; well done!

Heartland Players presents "Dinner in .45" September 10 through 26. Visit www.heartlandplayers.org for details.