Theater Review - "Bingo! - The Winning Musical"

Theater Review

“Bingo! – The Winning Musical”

Produced by: Theatre Three – Port Jefferson

Reviewed by: Jeb Ladouceur

Everybody knows what Bingo is…but this is the first time I’ve seen the familiar game used as a metaphor for life’s foibles. Thus devised, one-liners spring from Michael Heitzman, Ilene Reid, & David Holcenberg’s hilarious “Bingo! The Winning Musical” in rat-tat-tat sequence. Example: In one scene when Sam the Bingo Caller announces that the next game’s objective is to form a single, straight line on the card…the thrice divorced, on-the-hunt sexpot Honey (perfectly played by Laura Bell) proclaims, “Ahhh…’Single’ and ‘Straight’…my two favorite words!”

The other three women in the diverse, Bingo-addicted quartet that continuously fires off similar rib-tickling gems are Vern, Patsy, and Bernice (Debbie D’Amore, Cristina Faicco, and Linda May). They are ably supported by Sam the Caller (Ed Brennan, who has miraculously made the switch from his recent portrayal of the tragic Javert in Les Miserables).

The entire cast of ‘Bingo! - The Winning Musical’ at Theatre Three. Photo by John Lanscombe.Minnie (Sheila Sheffield the Hall Manager) wanders the audience and plays a straight-faced shill for Sam as if the two have been at it for decades—that’s how good the timing is. And timing is everything in rapid fire give-and-take like theirs.

When a neophyte gambler, Alison (delivered convincingly by Amanda Geraci) arrives in the Bingo Hall, the petite gal with the big voice belts out “I’ve Made up My Mind” with authority that belies her diminutive stature. It’s one of a dozen songs rendered with equal gusto by various cast members. Geraci is assigned the only role even remotely associated with a plot in this essentially scenario-free variety show. Wisely, Director Jeffrey Sanzel elects not to emphasize the heavy aspect and risk losing a fun-loving audience that’s already been won.

As everyone involved in local theater knows, Theatre Three major domo Sanzel is about as versatile a figure as can be found in any of Long Island’s numerous playhouses. Having won last year’s Encore Award for his superb direction in “The Diary of Anne Frank,” the executive artistic director of the company that’s rightfully become known as Port Jefferson’s ‘Broadway on Main Street’ has brought a talented troupe full circle. Gone (at least for now) is the gut-wrenching drama of persecution and anti-Semitism played out in a cramped Amsterdam attic…and not surprisingly, in its place Sanzel has mounted a contrasting farcical comedy!

At the outset, let it be said that this critic generally disdains the somewhat underhanded ploy used to name this play. To me, injecting a laudatory double entendre blurb into the name of a theatrical production is akin to titling a book, “A Terrific Novel!” or “My Favorite Mystery.” It smacks of presumption at best, and is intentionally deceptive at worst. Critiquing is best left to those of us who stake our reputations on the appropriate application of such adjectives.

But Mr. Sanzel didn’t name this comic romp, so he’s hardly to blame for any deception, intended or otherwise…and as a matter of fact, the musical on Theatre Three’s Mainstage thru May 24th happens to be ‘winning’…big time!

“Bingo! The Winning Musical” with its minimal cast, modest prop requirements, and contrived opportunities for audience participation, was an ideal off-Broadway vehicle in those regards. Indeed, “Bingo!...” never did make it to the Great White Way, and even downtown the production closed after a relatively brief run. My guess is the proletarian nature of the theme had a lot to do with that. It seems at least questionable whether die-hard Bingo aficionados are similarly dedicated theatergoers.

That said, Theatre Three has successfully used this comic freight train of a play to shine a light on human eccentricities. The result: ‘Bingo!...” deserves the acronym LOL!

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Award-winning Smithtown writer Jeb Ladouceur is the author of eight novels, and his theater reviews appear in several major L.I. publications. In Ladouceur’s next thriller, “Harvest” due in late summer, an American doctor is forced to perform illegal surgeries for a gang of vital organ traffickers in The Balkans.