Reviewers Find Favor with 'Cactus Flower'

Posted: Wednesday, March 2, 2011, 1:52pm

The Curtain Players production of the Abe Burrows play CACTUS FLOWER closed its run at the Harlem Road playhouse Sunday. The romantic comedy, directed by Courtney Lingnofski, played to nearly full houses during its three-weekend stand.

The production was reviewed by Bob Weesner from Theatre Vault and Dennis Thompson from Theatre Roundtable. Each writer offered a measure of praise and constructive criticism in their respective articles. The highlights of each review:

"I certainly laughed often enough...the performers are positively endearing," wrote Weesner. "First-time director Courtney Lingnofski came up with a number of inventive touches."

"It makes for a fun, engaging piece," wrote Thompson, noting the sum of parts exceeded any individual element of the production.

In CACTUS FLOWER, Julian Winston (played by Jeff Kemeter), is a handsome, middle-aged dentist and bachelor, who, to evade commitment, tells his much younger girlfriend Toni (Kelly Brown) that he is married. When Toni demands to meet his fictional wife — the doctor’s plainer nurse (Krista Threadgill) — a simple white lie leads to major complications.

Erik Binion, Linda Goodwin, John Grote, Tisha Hanley, John Lopez, and Nolan Martin completed the cast.