Longmont Theatre Company levels up for a new season with tech improvements ahead of slapstick comedy 'Moon Over Buffalo'

Aug. 31—Of note: Author Ella Cobb is from western New York and she loves Buffalo dearly.

With school back in session, the temperatures dwindling and the darkness falling earlier, many Coloradans are already longing for an escape from the claustrophobia that comes with the initial onset of autumn.

Luckily, those residing along the Front Range need look no further than the Longmont Theatre Company (LTC) to plan a next big trip to none other than Buffalo, New York.

While Buffalo doesn't necessarily seem like the obvious destination of dreams for many, hear us out: For an entire two hours, theatergoers can be whisked away to the crown jewel of the East Coast for the small price of $32 through a local production of "Moon Over Buffalo," the opening play in the Longmont Theatre Company's 2023-2024 season. The show opens Sept. 8 at LTC's home at Longmont Performing Arts Center, 513 Main St., Longmont.

Written by renowned comedic playwright Ken Ludwig, "Moon Over Buffalo" is a fast-paced comedy that pays homage to the classic tradition of farce. The play takes place in the mid-20th century and centers around the larger-than-life personalities of George and Charlotte Hay, a married couple who are fading stars of the theater. The Hays find themselves in a series of comical mishaps as they attempt to salvage their careers with a repertory production of two classic plays — "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "Private Lives." However, chaos ensues as misunderstandings, romantic entanglements and unexpected visitors threaten to derail their plans.

Since spectators won't actually have to travel to Buffalo to see this slapstick comedy, they will be spared the 7 feet of lake-effect snow that could bury the real city, no matter the season. Instead, guests will be treated to an evening of top-tier performances from some of the Front Range's best and brightest actors.

"We've got this cast, that's just stellar," said Margret James, dramaturg for LTC. "They're so good, and they're so fascinating. We've got this guy who was a Shakespearean actor for a while, and an actor in Chicago for a while, and now he came here and this is his first play back in a long time. He is awesome. I mean he is awesome."

The actor is Don Prather, who will be playing the lead male role of George Hay. Hay's character relies on delivering an extremely physical performance, which requires the actor to partake in a mock duel involving swords, a wrestling match and a stunt fall into the orchestra pit.

While Prather himself wasn't available for an interview, James had plenty of good things to say in favor of the actor.

"I've been watching these rehearsals this week and [Prather] is just so good," James said. "When you have people that are that good, the comedy just comes out naturally."

While attendees can expect this high caliber of performances throughout the entire season, James said that the theater company is fine-tuning other production aspects, too.

"A couple of other things is that we decided this year to put body mics on all of our actors," James said. "That's gonna really make a difference for our patrons. We've also hired a fight choreographer and an intimacy coordinator so that we're just leveling up as a theater in a more professional way, and I think the product will just be stellar.

"I'm not usually this enthusiastic about all of our plays, but this play is really, really special. Because our audiences are going to be able to hear it well, and there is just so much stuff to see and enjoy."

The Longmont Theatre Company faced a tough and unsteady period during the pandemic and endured a 21-month-long closure. Now, according to LTC President Faye Lamb, the company wants to focus on the positive moving into the future.

"Last year and this year, we just decided that we're doing happy things," Lamb said. "'Moon Over Buffalo' came up on our list numerous times when we had our brainstorming sessions for which plays to pick. It came up many times. That's our theme: We just want everyone to have a good time."

Other plays in the 2023-2024 lineup include "Twas the Night Before Christma" and "A Charlie Brown Christmas" which kick off Nov. 4; "Winter Wonderettes" starts Nov. 24; "I Hate Hamlet" launches Jan. 26; "Nana's Naughty Knickers" comes in March and one very special and (very secret) "magnificent May musical" that is to be announced, Lamb said.

However, Lamb said the mystery musical is a big name, so most people will recognize it.

"I'm excited about that one because it's a huge Broadway musical that was on a national tour for many years," Lamb said, with an unmistakable twinkle in her voice. "It came off of tour, and we got it. Just from that standpoint, it's a very popular musical."

Catch "Moon Over Buffalo" at the Longmont Theatre Company with 7:30 p.m. shows on Sept. 8, 9, 15, 16, 22, 23 and 2 p.m. shows on Sept. 10 and 17. For tickets and more information, visit longmonttheatre.org.