Kitchen Witches - Town & Gown Theatre

When I first read about Kitchen Witches ( a comedy written by Caroline Smith), I cringed. The synopsis sounded cheap and unoriginal. It said something like a cross between Martha Stewart and Jerry Springer. This lowered my expectations. Yet, I trekked over to Stillwater's Town & Gown Theatre to watch their performance and support a friend in the show.
The lights came up on a polished set; designed to look like the studio of a cooking show. It was bright, clean, and solid. For theatre in the round, it was perfect. We, the theatre audience became the studio audience.  It truly had the television studio vibe. Everything from the color scheme to the layout was effective.
The play begins with host, Dolly Biddle (played by Linda Thrasher), hosting her cooking show. Her son, Stephen, is the television producer (Nicholas Sumpter). Thrasher came across rather unfocused in her role as the eccentric mother/hostess. It was as if she were given no direction. Her eye contact and delivery were so casual that it felt as if she were working out blocking and dialogue in her head as she went along. Her acting was distracting and hard to swallow.
However, Nicholas Sumpter did a fine job as her over-worked son. I have seen Nicholas in quite a few productions before, and am not always accepting of his acting choices. This was one of his best performances, though. He was lively and diverse not only in his delivery but also in his responses to the other actors. Playing something of a "straight man" with humorous moments, I thought he connected with the character and thus, connected the audience to the play.
One thing I appreciated was the pacing of the show. Areas that could have served as sluggish were carried by the acting. Especially when it came to new-comer, Leigh Murray, who played Isobel Sheets (Dolly's rival), the play got an extra jump start. She was alive and quick on stage. Her "tender moment" with Sumpter proved to be one of my favorite scenes.
Laughs were abundant throughout the show. Even the non-speaking role of the cameraman/assistant, played by Cody Whittenburg, garnered more than his fair share of successful comedic moments. There was no arguing that this show entertained the crowd. Technically, I would have wished for more for the character of Dolly, but director Cindy Sheets whipped up a delightful comedy.