Review: Off Stage play ‘hilarious farce’

DONNA HORN/special to the Van Wert independent 

Want to forget about government shutdowns and crazy shootings and all the headlines in the news? Put aside all your troubles for an evening. Off Stage Productions offers a perfect night out: enjoy a hilarious farce and good food — the laughs are guaranteed.

Off Stage Productions presents Honeymoon at Graveside Manor, a family friendly show that is fun for everyone.

A new bride expects to spend her honeymoon at a romantic, secluded and cozy resort. Imagine her surprise when she finds a dirty deserted old place that was once a mortuary and is rumored to be haunted.

The couple thinks they will have privacy, but no such luck. First to greet them is the maid, who is unbelievable. She shows up at 8 p.m. instead of 8 a.m. Then there is an escaped lunatic who has a secret plan to blow up the place. Add in three high school kids who are planning pranks. Did I mention that it is Halloween? Then there is the ghostly woman with a white face and an axe who is constantly threatening people? When confronted with a gun she tells them to shoot her, “You can’t hurt me. I’m already dead.”

The place is filled with secret passageways and there is no such thing as privacy or seclusion.

There is a beautiful editor who wants to do a story on the place and a bumbling policeman who is searching for the escaped lunatic. Laugh follows laugh until everything is sorted out in the end.

Van Wert is very fortunate to have many talented volunteers who work so hard to entertain. The play is well cast and the actors seem to be having as much fun as the audience.

The cast includes many veteran actors, including Nick McClellan, Merry Thomas, Lisa Eichler, David Ricker, Joelle May, Sassy Shenefield, Mac King, Clair Warnecke, Megan Warnecke and Ed Eichler. Rookie director Amber Evans, assisted by Steve Lane, does an outstanding job.

Honeymoon at Graveside Manor will be presented October 4, 5, 6, 11 and 12 at the Council on Aging, 220 Fox Road. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., dinner is served at 7, and the show is at 8 p.m. At the Sunday matinee, doors open at 12:30 p.m., with the dinner at 1 and the show at 2 that afternoon.

The cost is $25 and includes a delicious dinner provided by Grants Catering. To make reservations call 419.605.6708.