Theater Review—

‘Supporting Cast’ Filled With Great Actors, Super Set

By Julie Stern

SHERMAN — The late George Furth, a peripatetic actor in many Hollywood films including Shampoo and Blazing Saddles, was probably best known for his collaborations with Stephen Sondheim, namely in writing the book for the musicals Company and Merrily We Roll Along. One of his lesser known works is the light comedy The Supporting Cast, which might well draw on his experience of being attached to someone much more famous than himself.

In this work, which continues for one more weekend at The Sherman Playhouse, we find Ellen, the wife of a highly successful Hollywood writer, has written a book of her own.

“Is it a cookbook?  A children’s book, perhaps?” her friends query.

“No. Not exactly,” she tells them.

In fact, Ellen’s book is a kind of roman au clef, a novel based on the lives of real people, and half the fun is figuring out the actual identities of the characters.

Which is why Mae, Sally, Florrie and Arnold have been invited to Ellen’s Malibu beach house for lunch. Anticipating fireworks, Ellen’s publisher has demanded that she obtain signed waivers from the subjects of her literary tell-all. These four of her dearest friends are in the book, and she does tell all…

When they discover how they have been portrayed and what secrets have been stripped bare for public perusal, they are outraged… until, that is, they learn that the book has been optioned for a movie.  Now what concerns them most is which Hollywood star is going to play them.

Sarah Saltus as Ellen, Jacky Saulnier as her tough New Yorker pal Mae, Laura Grasseler Flake as the extremely neurotic and allergic to everything Sally, Robyn Maitland as the breezy Florrie, and Bruce Tredwell as good humored Arnold, all do an excellent job with the material at hand. 

Particularly enjoyable is the beach house set, designed by Director John Taylor and constructed by Bill Gilbert and Betsy Scholze. Since many of the gags depended on New Yorkers crashing into clear glass doors, it was like a commercial for Windex.

This is a light, cheerful summery kind of play, best enjoyed after a nice dinner and a few drinks.

See the Enjoy Calendar, in print and online, for production and other details.