Excerpted from The Toledo Blade, Toledo, Ohio June 25, 2004
http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040625/ART10/406250320/-1/ART
Village Players hit the beach for a strange idea of fun
By NANCIANN CHERRY
BLADE STAFF WRITER
The arrival of summer brings with it sun, sand, surf, and strange behavior.
At least it does at the Village Players' theater, where Psycho Beach Party
opened last night and continues through Sunday.
Director Julie Zatko said the comedy is a spoof of the old surf movies, the ones
with Sandra Dee, Annette Funicello, and Frankie Avalon, and if nothing else,
it's fun.
"I love the Village Players; they always support me," said Zatko, who directed
Social Security and Over the River and Through the Woods for the theater. So
when she wanted to direct a show that was a little edgier than usual, with a
young cast, most of whom are making their debut on the Players' stage, she got a
thumbs-up from the theater's board of directors.
Written by Charles Busch (The Tale of the Allergist's Wife, Vampire Lesbians of
Sodom), Psycho Beach Party is a combination of Gidget, Psycho, and Mommie
Dearest, Zatko said.
The action takes place in 1962, when the 16-year-old Florence Forrest, nicknamed
Chicklet, is on a quest to become part of the Malibu Beach surf crowd.
Her progress is hampered, however, by her multiple personalities, including a
vamping dominatrix, a soul sister, and a male model.
The cast - most of them in swimwear - includes Abby Youngs as Chicklet, Laura
Ahrens as Bettina, D. Nicholas Hansen as Kanaka, Erin Keaton as Marvel Ann, Ryan
Mahaffey as Yo Yo, Angela Metcalf as Ciella, Deanne Miller as Berdine, Jimmy
Pickle as Mrs. Forrest, Alex Read as Undertow, Brad Riker as B-Rad, Matt Ross as
Nicky, Ondrea Sabo as Dee Dee, and Tony Schwab as Provoloney.
"The show is pretty adult. Mature audiences with open minds will have a great
time," Zatko said.
"Psycho Beach Party" continues at 8 tonight and tomorrow and 2 p.m. Sunday in
the Village Players theater, 2740 Upton Ave. Tickets are $8 at the door.
Information: 472-6817.
Contact Nanciann Cherry at ncherry@theblade.com or 419-724-6130.
Last Modified: 06/25/04