Conservatory Kicks Off Season with Hilarious Twin-Bill

SARASOTA – The FSU/Asolo Conservatory kicked off its 2015/16 season Wednesday with a comedy double bill that suggested one of its most-talented second year classes in recent memory. Both Christopher Durang’s The Actor’s Nightmare and Tom Stoppard’s The Real Inspector Hound had audiences in the Cook Theatre all but rolling in the aisles.

In The Actor’s Nightmare, a very impressive Scott Kuiper plays George, a man who believes he's an accountant but suddenly finds himself standing in for a lead actor on opening night, 15 minutes before the curtain rises and without knowing a single line.

The surreal action shifts between three plays with George calling for lines and nervously improvising to hilarious effect. Kupier gives a poised performance and is assisted with fine work by Jillian Courtney and Kelly Elizabeth Smith who play his female castmates.
In The Real Inspector Hound, a pair of theater critics seated to the side of the stage review a British murder mystery, while discussing their personal lives. Brett Mack is delightful as Moon, a stuffy back-up critic who longs to be first string. Brandon Maldonado plays Birdboot, a more flamboyant and somewhat self-righteous critic from a rival publication, who is often and correctly accused of giving rising actresses stellar reviews provided he gets something in return.

Jacob Sherburne manages to get the biggest laughs as the absurd Magnus Muldoon, who is competing with Glascoyne for female affection, despite being wheelchair bound. Michael Fisher also turns in a good performance as the over-the-top Sherlock Holmes parody, Inspector Hound.

Director Greg Leaming has the cast of both plays firing on all cylinders with perfect comedic timing in this tight and funny evening of local theater. The production runs through Nov. 22. Visit the Asolo website for more information.