A Little Off the Top

Spotlight Cabaret at Winter Park Playhouse in Winter Park, FL

by Carl F. Gauze

Featuring Brance Cornelius and Alex Mansoori

Musical direction by Chris Leavy

There are these two guys on stage, the bigger, loud one (Cornelius) and the more intellectual smaller man (Mansoori). And they dress up in their on-stage finery and shave their heads and so suffer no worries about bald spots. Then they sing and dance; Mansoori mostly does straight man schtick while his partner keeps trying to one up him. It’s classic comedy in the style of Laurel and Hardy or Gleason and Art Carney. Their material is sure fire, can’t miss gags and songs, and their singing is decent as well. The set list tends to the friendship axis, with titles like “Johnny One Note” and “Together.” All their sections express a life-long commitment, if such is possible in theater. Naturally we hear stalwart Chris Leavy filling in on keys, and by now I think he’s homesteaded this place. It’s all fast paced fun, and as we are reminded “It ain’t a show without a tip jar.” Here’s your chance to be that big spender patron of the arts.