A Play by William Inge
Directed by Ann Hearn Tobolowsky
Produced by David Hunt Stafford
This is BUS STOP: About 25 miles west of Kansas City, a freak snowstorm has halted the progress of a bus, and travelers have a late-night, weather-enforced layover in a local diner. Romantic or quasi-romantic relationships ensue.
Inge’s classic comedy is filled with sentimental characters and a slow-but-pleasant, slice-of-life storyline. The play manages to continually charm modern audiences, if only due to our inherent longing for a simpler, more innocent past.
Most of Inge’s plays are a mixture of comedy and drama. This American treasure is no different.
Runtime is 2 hours with one 15 minute intermission.
Starring:
Gary Ballard • Niko Boles • David Datz • Kaitlin Huwe
Shawn Savage • Michele Schultz • Jack Sundmacher • Mani Yarosh
There are exceptional performances in this production of Bus Stop. It is slow to start but manages to gather steam and then soars. And, as the performance end, one is wrap up in the humanity of it all and sent out of the theatre bundled in the warmth of empathy.
Because Bus Stop is more comedy than drama—there are lots of wisecracks and songs to brighten things up—the ending must be happy, of course. Inge, though, is such an accomplished and skilled playwright that I left the theatre feeling good about the play and everyone in it.
William Inge's characters may not be big-city sophisticates, but that doesn't mean they're any less deserving of an audience's attention, even sixty-three years after they made their Broadway debut, as Theatre 40's pitch-perfect Bus Stop makes abundantly clear.
Notwithstanding the sizable cast of characters, Inge's 1955 romantic comedy is fundamentally about loneliness, a timeless theme that director Ann Hearn Tobolowsky illuminates with style and grace.
It is Bo's hard-learned lesson about romance and respect that keeps BUS STOP in the forefront as one of the great classic American romance stories. And thanks to the talented cast and director Ann Hearn Tobolowsky's attention to detail and effective use of freeze framing cast members while others speak, these well known characters will reach out and grab you by the heart, stirring your emotions as lessons are learned, partnerships are formed, and everyone gets exactly what they want by the time the road re-opens, especially a naïve cowboy and a 19-year old hick singer from the Ozarks determined to make a better life for herself.
Director Ann Hearn Tobolowsky does a superb job of helping these nice “down-home” characters learn things about themselves that have been hidden deep inside. To paraphrase Tennessee Williams, “…It's a secret world that exists behind the screen of neighborly decorum.” Jeff G. Racks' `50's diner smacks of authenticity, while Michele Young's costumes fit the era perfectly. Brandon Baruch's lighting and Joseph Slawinski's sound round out an excellent production team.
The high quality direction and stagecraft immerses us in a showcase that highlights the skills of this ensemble, and unlike the Marilyn Monroe movie of the same title, this Bus Stop is, indeed, an ensemble effort undertaken by a most capable cast... This Bus Stop is a must stop for theatergoers.
Bus Stop is a production of Theatre 40 under the astute direction of Ann Hearn Tobolowsky with an exceptionally talented cast that brings all of it interesting characters to life. - RECOMMENDED
In spite of its intellectual structure this play may contain, BUS STOP still holds up to its entertainment value... Theatre 40 continues to provide an eclectic variety of stage plays as presented through the facilities of artistic director David Hunt Stafford. With the selection of plays as performed by this theatre troupe, it's always a treat to see a time-tested classic. BUS STOP is one of those plays that will leave the driving to “us”!
There are exceptional performances in this production of Bus Stop. It is slow to start but manages to gather steam and then soars. And, as the performance end, one is wrap up in the humanity of it all and sent out of the theatre bundled in the warmth of empathy.
Because Bus Stop is more comedy than drama—there are lots of wisecracks and songs to brighten things up—the ending must be happy, of course. Inge, though, is such an accomplished and skilled playwright that I left the theatre feeling good about the play and everyone in it.
William Inge's characters may not be big-city sophisticates, but that doesn't mean they're any less deserving of an audience's attention, even sixty-three years after they made their Broadway debut, as Theatre 40's pitch-perfect Bus Stop makes abundantly clear.
Notwithstanding the sizable cast of characters, Inge's 1955 romantic comedy is fundamentally about loneliness, a timeless theme that director Ann Hearn Tobolowsky illuminates with style and grace.
It is Bo's hard-learned lesson about romance and respect that keeps BUS STOP in the forefront as one of the great classic American romance stories. And thanks to the talented cast and director Ann Hearn Tobolowsky's attention to detail and effective use of freeze framing cast members while others speak, these well known characters will reach out and grab you by the heart, stirring your emotions as lessons are learned, partnerships are formed, and everyone gets exactly what they want by the time the road re-opens, especially a naïve cowboy and a 19-year old hick singer from the Ozarks determined to make a better life for herself.
Director Ann Hearn Tobolowsky does a superb job of helping these nice “down-home” characters learn things about themselves that have been hidden deep inside. To paraphrase Tennessee Williams, “…It's a secret world that exists behind the screen of neighborly decorum.” Jeff G. Racks' `50's diner smacks of authenticity, while Michele Young's costumes fit the era perfectly. Brandon Baruch's lighting and Joseph Slawinski's sound round out an excellent production team.
The high quality direction and stagecraft immerses us in a showcase that highlights the skills of this ensemble, and unlike the Marilyn Monroe movie of the same title, this Bus Stop is, indeed, an ensemble effort undertaken by a most capable cast... This Bus Stop is a must stop for theatergoers.
Bus Stop is a production of Theatre 40 under the astute direction of Ann Hearn Tobolowsky with an exceptionally talented cast that brings all of it interesting characters to life. - RECOMMENDED
In spite of its intellectual structure this play may contain, BUS STOP still holds up to its entertainment value... Theatre 40 continues to provide an eclectic variety of stage plays as presented through the facilities of artistic director David Hunt Stafford. With the selection of plays as performed by this theatre troupe, it's always a treat to see a time-tested classic. BUS STOP is one of those plays that will leave the driving to “us”!
