Over the Moon, or Just Over the Top?

Tony Davis as George Hay (left) and emé Esquivel as Howard (right) in Moon Over Buffalo at Waukesha Civic Theatre. Photo credit: Anne Kenny Creative

A review of Moon Over Buffalo

by Landon Lentz, age 16

Doors slam. Actors panic. The hilarious play Moon over Buffalo by Ken Ludwig, now playing at Waukesha Civic Theatre, takes place in the 1950s in Buffalo, New York, with the plot centering around two fading theatrical stars’ attempts to rise back into the spotlight. This is demonstrated throughout the show through the comedy, set, costumes, direction, and stage intimacy.

First off, I think this show was hilarious. The production combined 50s characters with modern-day humor, which was quite funny. This did result in a lot of awkwardish moments where the characters would be saying something old-timey and then mid-sentence it felt like they teleported 40 years into the future. For example, Ethel’s line: "The theater is our lifeline to humanity — without it we'd all be Republicans." But overall: funny.

In addition to the comedy, the set, designed by Evan Crain, was very beautiful. It felt like we were actually looking into the characters’ lives. I loved all the little details, like the coat rack, the pillows, or the coffee pot; they made it feel real, lived-in. This sense of realism was furthered by the costumes, designed by Tianna Lee. The intricacy of the pirate costumes, along with the traditional dresses and suits, really impressed me. I especially loved the details in Charlotte's green dress. 

Another impressive thing was the amount of stage combat and staged intimacy this show involves. I applaud the fight choreographer Kara Penrose, intimacy director Jenn Dobby, the actors, and directors for being so in-control and well-coordinated with all of these scenes. Whether it be Paul and Roz making out or Paul trying to get George to get into costume, I really felt like these moments were very believable. This extended to the whole show, which felt believable because of the choices the actors and directors made for the characters. One of my favorite moments to look for is George's reaction to coffee after drinking alcohol. It’s hilarious.

One of my biggest critiques of the show came right away, when the play began with a scene which I didn’t quite understand the point of as an audience member. Overall, my biggest nitpick isn’t with anyone involved in the production, but rather with the show itself. I felt that it was a little redundant and didn’t need to run the full 2 hours. It seemed that there was a lot of "extra fluff," if you will. Despite this, I think the actors and the production team made the best production they could with what they were given.

Overall, the intimacy, direction, scenic design, costumes, and humor made this show very good. It is really a unique show and I think you would enjoy it because I did, and let’s just say I definitely don’t enjoy everything I see. Overall, I hope you will consider seeing Moon over Buffalo because I think that you will be pleasantly surprised. It is running through September 27th at Waukesha Civic Theatre.