“More Fun Than Bowling” opens Nov. 13
The incredibly funny and eccentrically philosophical comedy, “More Fun Than Bowling,” opens at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 13-18 (Sunday black) in College of Eastern Utah’s Geary Theatre.
The play centers around Jake who owns the bowling alley in a small Midwestern town. He is sitting on a hilltop where two of his three wives are buried. One wife, Lois, was zapped by lightning while carrying a bowling trophy in a thunderstorm and another wife, Loretta, was killed by a ball return machine where he comes to ruminate, according to the theatre department’s website.
The incredibly funny and eccentrically philosophical comedy, “More Fun Than Bowling,” opens at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 13-18 (Sunday black) in College of Eastern Utah’s Geary Theatre.
The play centers around Jake who owns the bowling alley in a small Midwestern town. He is sitting on a hilltop where two of his three wives are buried. One wife, Lois, was zapped by lightning while carrying a bowling trophy in a thunderstorm and another wife, Loretta, was killed by a ball return machine where he comes to ruminate, according to the theatre department’s website.
In his younger days, he was a promising concert musician but a foul tip baseball broke his fingers which subsequently healed into a perfect bowler’s grip.
Jake replays the key frames of his life and, from time to time, is visited by his daughter Molly who has become adept at talking women into marrying her father for love and free lane time. But who is that nattily dressed man with dark glasses and a revolver lurking nearby?
“A very funny and eccentrically philosophical comedy. Mr. Dietz is a … writer with a distinct comic voice. He shows us that life and certainly death is a lot like bowling.
“For every experience, there seems to be an appropriate bowling expression just waiting to be applied. And for those who thought that bowling was merely a matter of rolling a ball and knocking down some pins, there is an Act II description of the zen of bowling that will change your thinking forever. … In addition to inventing vivid cartoonish characters and giving them wacky tragic actions, Mr. Dietz is a master of the comic monologue,” reports the Washington Times.
Written by Steven Dietz, the play is directed by Todd Olsen. “I read this play about 12 years ago on a suggestion from Lee Johnson [retired CEU theatre director]. Lee thought the play was great and I wasn’t so convinced at the time. It’s funny how things come back to you and you see them in a different light.
“An alternative title may be ‘Zen and the Art of Bowling.’ I love the characters and I love the story. I think we may all have a similar crossroads, or several, that we experience in our lives.
“I have always been drawn to the quirkiness of the story, the time shifting elements, the relationships between the characters and the overall message. For me, it proves that no matter your view or circumstances in life, we are all pretty much on the same path – it just depends on our background, experiences and view.
“When I saw the students we have in the department this year, the show just seemed to fit with them. I think I was right. I want to thank the cast and crew for all of their hard work. They have captured the essence of the characters and story that make for a great night of theatre. Thanks as always to Grady and Corey for their continued association and support,” Olsen said.
Starring in the play are Zack Reynolds as Jake Tomlinson, Anita Marie Cunningham as Molly, Sarah Bailey as Lois, Whitney Oliver as Loretta and Michael S. Johnson as Mister Dyson. The stage design was created by Grady McEvoy with Corey Ewan, Ph.D. designing costumes and Scott Westwood over the sound.
