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(Posted 1:30 p.m., June 25)
OOPS
production an homage to the golden age of television
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online
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 A
tied and bound Randy Bellini is force fed
Twinkies by Susan Flemming during a scene
in the OOPS production of “My Mother
the... OOPS” at the Shenkman Arts Centre
on Saturday. Fred Sherwin/Photo
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The
Orleans Older Players play homage to the golden age of
television in their latest production “My Mother
the... OOPS” based on the 60’s sitcom “My
Mother the Car”.
Widely
regarded as one of the worst television shows of all time,
“My Mother the Car” was cancelled after it’s
first season which ran from September 14, 1965 and April
5, 1966.
Fans
of the show blamed the newly empowered television critics
for its demise, which is the premise for the OOPS production,
co-written by teacher, director and cast member Susan
Flemming in collaboration with the class members, all
of whom are OOPS veterans.
The
two central figures in the play are Mary Beth Wiggins,
played by Céline Nadeau, and Anton Etchevary, played
by Randy Bellini.
Wiggins
is a super fan of the show and founder of the My Mother
the Car Fan Club in the fictitious town of Turtle Creek.
Etchevary is a television critic, who Wiggins blames for
the show’s untimely cancellation.
Membership
in the Fan Club amounts to a grand total of four people
and a stuffed cat – Wiggins; her mother Audrey Palliser,
played by Sue Ashton; the maintenance worker of the building
the club’s meetings are held in, Bobby Fletcher,
played by Sarah Benfield; Howie Ledbetter, played by Andre
Lacasse, who happened to read a flyer about the meeting
Wiggins had circulated in town; and Effie Sprague, an
eccentric lady and alien conspiracy theorist, played by
Flemming, who walks around talking to her stuffed cat
Felix.
Although
Wiggin’s mother reluctantly joins the club, she becomes
a die hard fan when her daughter tells her that the car
in My Mother the Car reminds her of her because it’s
always giving the lead character good advice in times
of crisis.
When
the club learns that Etchevary is being sent to write
a story about them, they cook up a plan to force him to
write a new script that will keep the show on the air.
After
tying him up and torturing him with Twinkies and Tang,
he agrees to write a script based on their story line.
(Kudos to Bellini for delivering his lines through a mouth
full of Twinkies.)
Once
the script is done, the club prepares to do a reading
at their next meeting with Etchevary sitting in as the
male lead. As they begin, the club members quickly realize
that he’s strayed from the story line he was given.
Instead of the car getting a makeover, it’s diagnosed
with a cracked crankshaft, a blown gasket and a corroded
exhaust system. In other words, it’s terminal.
In
her reaction, Wiggins has what can best be described as
a mental breakdown as the house lights fade to black.
In
the final scene, the club members gather for another night
in front of the television, only this time with Etchevary
as their special guest sporting a broken arm and leg.
As
they they take their seats, the opening strains of the
Star Trek theme song begin to rise and the house lights
fade a final time.
The cast was awesome as always. I especially liked Lacasse
as Howie Ledbetter. With his self effacing laugh, he reminded
me of Harold on the Red Green Show.
Nadeau
was fun as Mary Beth Wiggins, especially during her meltdown,
and Flemming was brilliant as the eccentric Effie Sprague.
Benfield and Bellini were also on the top of their game.
The
Monday night OOPS class will start up again in the fall.
If you secretly desire to be an actor and feel ready to
come out of the closet, then I would highly recommend
joning the class if for no other reason than to get to
work with Flemming. You can learn more at www.oypts.com.
(This
story was made possible thanks to their generous support
of our local business partners.)
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