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If you're looking for a show that is cute, silly and light hearted, see this.

Saturday May 05, 2001.     By Lila Stromer

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Eclipse Theater 2074 N. Leavitt Now extended thru the end of June Fridays at 8:00 PM, Saturdays at 9:30 PM Tickets: $10.00 For information and reservations call 312-458-9877

If you're looking for a show that is cute, silly and light hearted, see the newly extended Tights On A Wire. During the first few minutes of the show, I didn't know what to think - was this a show that was poorly acted or a script that was poorly written? However, after my initial confusion, I realized it was just a barrel of fun! The first thing to do is just to let the inhibitions about "theater" go and roll with the gags...

George Brant and J. P. Manoux have written a musical farce about life in the circus. The big broad script is well acted (overacted, more appropriately) by one and all. This is truly an ensemble piece, and the fact that most of the actors can only carry a tune makes the evening even funnier - no one takes their character too seriously, which means the actors have as good a time as the audience. A farce about the circus written with two-dimensional characters can only lead to mayhem, and it does.

The Gamboni's are a tightrope walking family (except for the unseen Mama and the unusually handicapped Pepe). Into their midst comes the cannonball family, the Habronko's. There is a love story (of sorts) between Jeanie Habronko and Chi-Chi Gamboni. Of course, Jeanie's evil brother, B. Habronko, wants to split them apart. The rest of the Gamboni's have their own troubles - the twins, Terry and Teri, who seem to share only one brain; Anna-Marie and Angelo, a brother and sister with more on their minds than they should; and Papa Gamboni, a man who wants to keep his almost talented family together at any cost. They all work for Mr. Dazzle, who owns the circus and makes an appearance whenever he thinks he hears his name mentioned. After a challenge is issued between the two families, the farce turns to melodrama, with Mr. Brant and J.P. Manoux even managing to throw a moment or two of "King Lear" into the fray.

George Brant also directed this piece and has included some very funny slow motion fight choreography and sight gags that all work. The silliness is continued with Paige Coffman's music and George Brant's lyrics. The costumes, by Jesus Perez, perfectly fit the mood. They are wildly colorful and look like Papa Gamboni didn't waste too much money on them. The teeny theater space is well used with only one wall that looks like a trailer and a curtain made of silver mylar strips.

The acting is over the top - it's almost a cross between a Saturday Night Live sketch and any soap opera currently on TV. Pepe is so well acted by Darren Bochat that all he has to do is look at the audience just prior to singing and the laughs start. The twins (Jenny McKnight and Julie Daley) are, to put it mildly, sweetly simplistic. Rob Janas plays the crude and rude Chi-Chi to the hilt, while his love interest Jeanie (Jackie Mellor) is New Jersey rough and tumble. Thomas E. McElroy's Papa is bombastic and never in fear of being too small. And Mark Vanasse, as Mr. Dazzle, knows how to hold an audience's attention on both entrances and exits, of which he has many. The bigness and boldness is the glue to this whole evening and the actors know it. The only one who could be slightly larger is Andrea Fitzgerald, who plays Anna-Marie just a bit more realistically than the other actors play their characters. While she was still quite good, she needs to have as much fun as her cohorts.

I recommend this as an evening of fun and laughter. There were a few large groups in the audience, and this play seems to make the adage "the more the merrier" true. So, bring your light-hearted and fun-loving friends to this and have an enjoyable evening!

-- Lila Stromer