When Bullfrogs Sing Opera: A Review

By Margie Doyle

At the end of the play, When Bullfrogs Sing Opera, last night,  I brushed away a tear before turning to my smiling neighbors. For the performances  in  Actors Theater of  Orcas Island production of the sly, satiric comedy had masterfully revealed ourselves to each other, with great heaps of love:

•  Patty Monaco playing  the social climbing Millicent, also known as Millie and Tadpole, who wasn’t so much stuck up as “an awkward little girl” from Frog Waller, who had aspired to be a woman of  “culture and refinement;”
•  Ron Herman, playing Millicent’s supportive but realistic husband, who noted each moment of irony and phoniness;
• Indy Zoeller, playing their son Patrick, an intellectual wannabe, hilariously disdaining emotion in favor of explanation;
• Beverly Leyman, who performs as Frances, the doyenne of  Manhattan philanthropy, a master of  definitive pronouncements and one-upmanship;
• John Mazzarella, Frances’ husband, who takes a reluctant backseat role to his wife’s enterprises,  coming alive  only at the memories of his youth in the country;
• Hailey Thompson, their red-blooded daughter Stephanie, described by her mother as a “highly moral girl (who doesn’t act that way”).  Stephanie transforms the would-be pompous Patrick into a poetry-spouting , equally red-blooded boy.

And then there’s Coreen, Millicent’s sister and unreformed hick who knows the secret to life and communicates it to all the others:  forgive and live.  Played by Melinda Milligan, this character is the full-throated sweetheart who, just by being herself, brings real life and satisfaction to all who know her.

When Bullfrogs Sing Opera, as presented by Actors Theater of Orcas, transforms the Grange theater into a city apartment, where the audience, the “fourth wall,” eavesdrops on the ambition of Millicent to serve as Vice-Chair to Frances — a sign that she, Millicent, has truly made it in her dream of being a woman of culture and status.

The actors’ command of their roles means that they project in “normal” voices: no declaiming or shouting here. (Except when Frances is emboldened to seek approval from the hillbilly, Coreen, who has been passed off as a London stage actress –bravo to Bev Leyman for her over-the-top transformation of Frances).

Millicent’s true nature, masked by  her  desire for respect, is charmingly revealed as she proclaims “Co-chair! Co-chair!” lovingly in her husband’s arms, and as she bids farewell to her much-loved sister.

During the intermission, I marveled at the realistic ease with which the “veteran” actors portrayed their characters; however, the stunner in this production was the accomplishments of the young actors, Hailey Thompson and Indy Zoeller. They totally conveyed the young couple’s unspoken desires for respect, identity and passion, whether they were center-stage or in the background.

Bev Leyman was another marvel: her icy arrogance and self-delusion wrapped up in a pose of elegance and authority was both charming and chilling.

Melinda Millgan adds another star turn in her repertoire on Orcas stages.  We entered whole-heartedly into Coreen’s warmth and gusto, spoken in folksy “y’alls” and “boy howdies.” When challenged by her sister’s deceit, though, Coreen becomes the everyday heroine who has a clear bead on true status: someone who loves and is loved.

The writing, by Carl Williams, is authentic, funny and ironic. The set is perfect: kudos to Vince Monaco  for the re-created art work and especially for the “window” overlooking the Manhattan skyline.

And you learn some secrets: speak slowly if you want respect; smile if you want someone to notice you; and take someone’s shoes off their feet if you want them to stay!

The play, directed by the masterful Doug Bechtel, can be seen at the Grange the next three weekends: Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 18, 24, 25 and March 2 and 3. There will be a Sunday evening perfomance on March 4 only.

Tickets are available for $10 from Darvills, at brownpapertickets.com, and at the door.