Review: Bangin’ The Bell, Eclipse Theatre Company

   Eclipse Theatre Company's “Bangin’ The Bell” focuses on Opal Marie (Danielle Filas) who has just finished “banging” the richest, slickest lawyer in town, resulting in his having a heart attack and dying, as Opal is supposed to be preparing to attend her small Texas town’s annual Christmas party. 

    Soon after Opal realizes her paramour is dead, her friends, Marlene (Molley Collins), Candymine (Krista Threadgill), Rubylee (Meloney Buehl), and Ina Jo (Sabra Miller) arrive to accompany her to the party. 

    The friends scold and mock Opal, gossip about each other and everybody else in town, and debate what to do with the body.

   As they come to a decision and are getting ready to push the body out the front door, Looty Beaver (Kent Halloran) -- the dumbest clown in town – shows up to check on Opal and escort her to the armory to help finish the decorations and start the party. 

   Under the guidance of veteran director Kathy Sturm, the acting and characterizations are uniformly outstanding. Their facial expressions, timing and physicality hold the audience's attention and keep us laughing. I noticed some tripping over lines, but this was opening night, and I suspect the line delivery will tighten with another performance or two. 

    I love Greg Smith’s set design of Opal’s apartment.  It features some excellent artistry –- especially in the painting of the cupboards.

   The costumes are attractive things that all these folks would probably have in their personal wardrobes. 

    On a scale of one-to-ten – ten being a Shakespeare-like piece of prose --  I would give “Bangin’ The Bell” a three. And that may be generous.  

   Some of Author Ted Karber's themes and characters, and the small Texas-town setting, remind me of Jaston Williams’ “Greater Tuna” series that many theater troupes and their audiences have come to enjoy and appreciate.

     Karber creates some fun bits and funny moments, but he repeats himself too many times.      

     Due to excellent directing and acting, the show is well paced. But at an hour and 40 minutes, with the intermission, it is at least twenty minutes too long.

   An extended segment toward the end of Act 1 takes place off stage, causing the audience to become restless and lose interest.  
    The plot twist concerning the lover’s double-dealing and conspiracy with Opal’s mostly absent husband to rob Opal of her inheritance, gets tossed in, lacking the exposition to have it make much sense. 

   Karber also wrote the one-person monolog show, “Precious Heart”, that has been a signature piece for Greg Smith.  Judging from the program annotations, this is a new work for which Eclipse did not have to pay royalties.

   Though the material is shallow, the excellent acting and directing make this worth the price of admission.