"Best of Friends" is the best of times at the Village Players

SOMERS - Appearances can be deceiving, and they certainly are in the Village Players’ production of the witty comedy "Best of Friends," where nothing is as it seems.

The play takes place in present day Brooklyn, New York, in the living room of famous writer Archer Connaught, played by Mark Depathy. He and his much younger 24-year-old girlfriend, Daryl Stoddard, played with efficient control by Linden Ela are presumed dead after the airplane he was flying crashes in ocean.

His abandoned and apparently placid wife, Josie, played with breezy confidence Dorrie Mitchell, is reveling in the attention showered upon her as the bereaved widow, until Archer appears unexpectedly asking for a divorce.

Josie tell her daughter Kate, played with fine bitter uptightness by Darlene LaPointe, that "death doesn’t part you, living together does."

When Kate asks why Archer left her, Josie says resignedly, "I think I bored him - I would have left me too."

Archer and Josie also have an aimless adult son, Merrill, played with intense fervor by Clint Moffie.

There is also a befuddled lawyer who was retained to get the rights for a movie of Archer’s life, Felix Hakaday, well played by Robert Winstanley.

The play has many amusing one-liners and director Shirley Warner does an excellent job keeping the expansive pithy dialog moving at a fast clip. The set, also designed by Warner, is solid and functional.

Notable too are the excellent sound effects, which are timed perfectly, and the professional touch of having music unobtrusively playing during the scene changes - Sound and lighting by technical director Justin Martin.
Sometimes supporting roles have an easier time because they don’t have the burden of exposition, and such is the case here.

The smaller, but no less important parts were all well-played, the inebriated and delightful juggler and possible justice of the peace, bemusedly played by James Stoughton, and the book agent Hazel Dunn, played with world-wearing knowingness by Mary Korostynski.

Also hilarious is Merrill’s nervously ditzy young wife, Lib, played by Stephanie Plangenza.

At one point Josie flippantly states: "I tell lies - It is one of the few things you can enjoy at any age."

Another of those things one can enjoy at any age is watching a dedicated group of actors put on a comedy where the truth is ultimately secondary to the fun.

BEST OF FRIENDS
3 stars
Location: Joanne’s Café and Banquet House, 145 Main Street, Somers
Production: Written by James Elward. Directed, with set design by Shirley Warner. Produced by Betty Domer. Technical direction, lighting, and sound by Justin Martin. Costumes by Sherrie Samborski.
Running time: About 2 hours with one intermission.
Show Times: Friday and Saturday though Oct. 4. Social hour starting at 6 p.m. Dinner at 7 p.m. Show at 8 p.m.
Tickets: $33, including dinner, with cash bar. Call 860-749-0245 for reservations.

Actor...Character
Dorrie Mitchell ... Josie Connaught
Mark Depathy ... Archer Connaught
Darlene LaPointe ... Kate Connaught
Clint Moffie ... Merrill Connaught
Stephanie Plagenza ... Lib Connaught
Linden Ela ...Daryl Stoddard
Robert Winstanley ... Felix Hakaday
Mary Korostynski ... Hazel Dunn
James Stoughton ... Mr. Bedloe