Minneapolis/St. Paul - "It's Only a Play"

Regional Reviews: Minneapolis/St. Paul

It's Only a Play
Park Square Theatre
Review by Deanne McDonald Haywood | Season Schedule

Also see Arty's reviews of Through Our Eyes 2 New Play Festival and Treasure Island

Warren Bowles, Daniel Petzold, Jim Lichtscheidl,
Emily Gunyou Halaas, Sally Wingert, Sasha Andreev,
and Nate Turcotte
Photo by Dan Norman

Park Square Theatre is opening its 50th Anniversary Season with It's Only a Play by Terrence McNally, directed by Artistic Director Stephen DiMenna and starring Twin Cities actors Sally Wingert, Jim Lichtscheidl, and Sasha Andreev among others. Billed as "a fast-paced, laugh-out-loud comedy that celebrates - and lovingly skewers - the theatre world," there are many laughs to be found in DiMenna's interpretation. However, McNally's script falls a couple doors short of a farce. It's Only a Play contains a fair amount of Broadway and Hollywood specific skewering paired with some overlong loving diatribes to the theatre which tend to depress the comedic energy.

It's Only a Play takes place on the opening night of the fictional play The Golden Egg, where wealthy, clueless producer Julia Budder played by Emily Gunyou Halaas hosts the opening night party while waiting for the reviews from various New York theatre critics. Scenic designer Ben Olsen presents a lavish guest suite and gigantic soft couch allowing for various consistently hilarious pratfalls by every actor. Not to be outdone, costume designs by Matt LeFebvre are often the butt of the joke, most memorably in bits regarding the coats from various Broadway casts and stars being laid on the bed upstage by naive coat checker Gus P. Head, played by Nate Turcotte.

Wingert is a stand out as has-been, alcoholic, drug-loving Hollywood actor Virginia Noyes, attempting to salvage her career by performing on Broadway. She wrings every last bit of comedy out of the role, clearly having a blast with her physical bits on the couch and her shiny jumpsuit. Lichtscheidl and Andreev do not seem to have the same level of playfulness in their roles as old friends, actor and playwright, respectively. Lichtscheidl's arch interpretation of narcissist James "Jimmy" Wicker comes off as reserved, an adjective rarely applied to the actors who most recently played the role on Broadway, Nathan Lane and Martin Short. Andreev enters with a fair amount of neurotic energy, rapidly blinking as nervous playwright Peter Austin, but this energy dissipates quickly and Andreev then plays Austin as a sort of comedic wet blanket.

Gunyou Halaas gets consistent laughs with her character's misquotes of various sayings and proverbs, and Daniel Petzold literally throws his body into the role of director Frank Finger to great comedic effect. Ultimately, the physical comedy has the biggest pay off in It's Only a Play. Because this production is performed by Twin Cities actors for a Twin Cities regional theatre audience, the comedic lines that probably felt dangerous and hilarious for Broadway actors and television or movie stars to say in a Broadway theater do not pull as much of a punch.

It's Only a Play runs through October 19, 2025, at Park Square Theatre, 20 W 7th Pl, St Paul MN. For tickets and information, please visit parksquaretheatre.org or call 651-291-7005.