Overacting (and drunk) thespians, slammed doors, and overactive imaginations drive this comedy set in 1950 in Buffalo's Erlanger Theatre. In Moon Over Buffalo, by the Tony Award winning author of Lend Me a Tenor, the double-takes, one-liners, startled en- trances and sudden exits come at a panicked pace. George and Charlotte Hay, traveling actors described by the New York Times' Vincent Canby as "hams past their prime:' are performing an alternating schedule of Cyrano de Bergerac and Private Lives. Word has come that the legendary Frank Capra is on his way to see a performance and offer the Hays a last chance at stardom in his new film. The problem is that George has disappeared and Charlotte has quit. When he is finally located, George is hopelessly drunk. Joined by their daughter and Paul, the long-suffering stage manager, we watch as they struggle to get the show on. New romances and old flames, a hard-of-hearing old lady, a pot of black coffee liberally laced with scotch, the Cyrano nose and the expectation of Capra's arrival all contribute to this madcap comedy.

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Rick Hall