Essay On A Review Of One Sight Hitch

Lewis Black’s One Slight Hitch is a delightful comedy based in the year of 1981. A play on words, not only is the character Courtney Coleman (Jenna Morris) getting hitched that day, her ex-boyfriend shows up causing a slight hitch in the day. The dynamic between her straight-laced fiancé Harper (Conor Farrell) and her free spirited, Jack Karouac loving ex-boyfriend Ryan (Brian Heaton) as well as her straight-laced parents creates a wonderful comedy. The play group was excellent, bringing together impeccable acting, fun scenic designs and appropriate costuming to produce a thoroughly entertaining two-act play.
It is little wonder that the acting was excellent, since most of the cast has extensive backgrounds according to the playbill. While the men playing Harper and Ryan were similar in looks, they differentiated themselves in both speech mannerisms and how they express themselves. Ryan is obviously more laid back, while Harper seems to be rigid. Amira Judeh excels as Courtney’s drunken sister, Melanie. She manages to be over the top without taking it too far. Her flirtations with Ryan are perfect; she portrays the character as thinking she is being sexy while she is just being drunk and inconsiderate. Rachel Watkins brought an upbeat and carefree feel to the character of Courtney’s younger sister P.B. Morris, Watkins and Judeh do an excellent job with the sisterly banter. Coleman manages to get across the whiney, childish person that Courtney is. Heaton matches her whininess, exemplifying why they broke up. From whining about running, to whining about her hairs inability to do anything, her whining makes the character. When P.B. tries to get the older sisters to let her drink, like typical older sisters they say no and bring up mom. Watching the three of them brought back sibling conversations from my youth. They managed to create a nostalgia. My favorite actor was Scott Holmes as Doc, who is the girl’s father. He perfectly portrays the protective WASP (white, Anglo-saxon, Protestant) father. It is obvious he truly wants his girls to be happy. Holmes plays against Vicky McCormick, who portrays his wife, Delia. They are obviously in a long-term marriage. When they sit near each other they talk but do not touch; they discuss things like a married couple but do not have physical contact with each other. The few times they do touch are to make a point versus to show caring. The actor’s purposeful use of the absence of touch shows the loss of intimacy within the relationship. They come together in the end, when they hold hands and lock arms to make the point of the change in their relationship. McCormick’s heart-wrenching scream upon realizing Ryan has shown up and she may not get the wedding she desires was perfect. Holmes also has perfect comedic timing as he uses the wedding topper to act out the wedding nuptials.
Adding to the wonderful acting is the scenery which brings one straight back to the clssic 1980’s living room; it reminded one of the living room from the television show Roseanne. The over-sized, slightly battered La-Z-Boy recliner in dim blue complimented the boring couch. On the back of the couch was the classic afghan we all remember having in the 80’s that we usually got from a well-meaning grandmother or great aunt. The grandfather clock adds to the ambience of the room. The front door has a classic lace drape. There is a fireplace with a mantel and the requisite tools, hich come in handy during the play. There are hardwood floors with a classic oriental style rug. What is obviously missing from the scenery is the family photos one would expect in a living room. While hard to do, the actors could have provided a few school pictures or something to make the living room seem more homelike. Instead it looks somewhat like a furnished rental or short-term rental that one would put little effort into. Given the type of people who the house is to belong to, they would probably have pictures of their kids everywhere. To indicate when P.B. is listening to her music, colorful disco type lighting appears along with a classic 80’s song everyone knows. This lends a playful moment to the play plus helps with the 1980’s setting. It also once again creates nostalgia, as one sings along with the choruses of songs everyone has known forever. There is also a lot of booze bottles and glasses to drink from.
The costuming helps push the story along. For instance, the father obviously really does not want to put a whole lot of effort forward; he spends the play in lounge clothes and a bathrobe. Ryan is in his boxers with a towel around him, a tank top and a hoodie. In contrast, Harper is in a pair of khaki shorts polo shirt and loafers. Ryan has an unkempt beard, while Harper is clean shaven. Delia goes from a classic mom outfit, matching shirt and pants, to a classic mom of the bride outfit with matching shirt and skirt with pearls. P.B. looks as if she is about to go to a roller rink, with a medium length wavy skirt and cap sleeved shirt on; her maid of honor dress is a beautiful peach. She always has a pair of headphones either on her ears, or around her neck. Both are indicative of her innocence. Melanie spends part of the ply in a slutty style nurse uniform, which is perfect for her free-loving and drunken character. Courtney goes through several changes; she begins in work-out clothes as she tries to run and impress her fiancé, then she wears a bumming outfit of sweats and an oversized shirt, until she ends up in a spaghetti strap wedding dress. In the end Doc ends up in a three-piece suit; this is appropriate since he finally stands up and helps his wife and daughter to feel better about the situation at hand.
The various pieces of this play came together and created an enjoyable evening. A very talented cast combined with the perfect costuming and a classic 80’s living room set the stage for a night of nostalgia, laughs and even some singing along with favorite 80’s songs. The only downfall was the lack of realistic family items within the living room, but that ws a minor oversight that did little to detract from the overall play.