Daddy Issues
Daddy Issues
By David Goldyn
Directed by David Goldyn
Starring Wes Miles, and Ryhse Silvestro
Footlights Theater
Orlando FL</strong>
There’s always time for a well-built farce in my life. Donald (Miles) aspires to act and is up for a cat food commercial. Start small, he reasons, and better things will come along. He’s had his flings and is now settled into a happily single gay life, disappointing his fabulously Jewish parents. They really don’t care about the boy toys, but if only a grandchild could appear vast tracts of Grandma’s (Jac LeDoux) money would flow to him. The heat is on and his homies Henrietta (Darby Ballard) and drag goddess Levi Strauss (Tim Garnam) come up with a brilliant idea: hire a child actor (Rhyse Silvestro), tell a story about an early fling, and get the folks off his back. Now, in our world this gimmick would last about 15 seconds, but on stage they nurse it for an hour of rolicking laughter and silly situations. Exceptionally tall Sid (Joe Zimmer) and his kvelling wife Marion (Wendy Stark) are suspicious but happy, and when the real subject of Donald’s brief hetro career appears, all is resolved. None of this make sense, but if you laugh hard enough who cares?
Kudos go to Mr. Garnham for his excellent and highly camped out drag queen as well as the skeptical but persistent Ms. Ballard. Miles’ Donald was always smiling and upbeat; he never counted on the money and just wanted the hetero heat lowered so he could have an acting career. The drunken mom Mary Ellen (Melanie Leon) took the goofy route as the drunk and nearsighted single mother, and Ms. LeDoux looks liked she’s lived thought this sort of crisis in here real life. This is one of the funniest, best structured shows to cross the Footlight’s stage in many a moon, and the bar pours stiff drinks. Just thought you would want to know.
For more information on the Footlights Theater, please visit http://www.parliamenthouse.com/footlight-theatre/
