Centennial Casting Tickets

Centennial Casting
Jumping off the TV screen and onto the stage is a thoroughly entertaining piece of light-hearted diversion called Centennial Casting. Though the genuinely fun script for Centennial Casting was written as a play, it owes its feel for humor.

Its a hilarious comedy about love, mistaken identity and sophisticated take on the modern relationship. Familiar sounding dialogue and easily foreseeable plot completes this hilarious, mad-cap new comedy. Centennial Casting features a plot where show business and sheet metal collide.

Vincents family metal casting business in New York City occasionally receives photos and resumes from people who take it for casting performers in plays and films.

But, for Vincent Didonato, the familys metal casting shop would hardly seem the perfect place to meet Ms. Right. The playwrights Gino Dilorio and Nancy Bleemer put together a romantic comedy about Vincent DiDonato and Edie Keaton.

Vincent Didonato is a 47-year-old, emotionally reclusive, thoroughly nice guy whereas Edie is an insecure and unsuccessful actress. The story mainly revolves around when Vincent is taken with the picture and biography of one particular actress.

Doo-Doo, Vincents well-meaning employee connives for them to meet and persuade Vincent to masquerade as a show business agent.

When a bunch of resumes from several attractive actresses starts pouring into the Casting Shop, Vincent cant refuse to give in to the opportunity. Having seeing resumes and photos, he finds one young waitress too irresistible to let slip away.

He arranges a fake audition for one of those attractive ladies for a fictitious film. Mistaken identity and uproarious laughter soon follow as show business and steel metal collide. Being emotionally frail from previous fail relationships, both Vincent and Edie fall for each other.

As the story progresses, there is much squirming going on as two shy people seek ways to communicate. But when the deception gets out of hand and the truth comes out, Edie is incensed.

But letting sparks fly, the play ends happily. Centennial Casting has long been audiences one of their favorite shows. Featuring a great cast, Chris Hanna directs his aptly chosen performers particularly well, getting all the laughs out of the script without overt forcing.

Deborah LaCoy plays a character of Edie with an abundance of charm and the believability that comes from balancing emotional realism with comedic display. While, Mike Boland mugs a bit in an otherwise praiseworthy outing as the sympathetic and decent Vincent.

Centennial Casting is undemanding fun, but theres no message, profound insight, or high art, except well executed craftsmanship and ample laughter. The script, like the Virginia Stage Company production, is well-crafted and neatly detailed.

Tim Artz is ideally cast as Doo-Doo, Vincents surprisingly sharp shop foreman. The character Doo-Doo is the brains behind the casting agent scheme. James Saba plays a character of the casting companys emotionally outlandish employee Carmine with enough overstatement to be funny.

All other performers sharp timing and the shows well honed pace usually keep whats tried and true from being tiresome. So take a night off, get your tickets and go see this show!