Buttoms Up!!

Bottoms Up! is an exercise in misunderstanding that puts even the best episodes of Three’s Company to shame. Directed by Bill Wright and presented by the Impossible Players, Bottoms Up is a riot. This is the story of June, portrayed wonderfully by Rosina Sonntag. June is an innocent young aerobics entrepreneur, down on her luck. She decides on a whim to vacation on the remote island of Santa Paquena. Immediately upon arrival at the Hotel Grande, June finds herself tangled up in international intrigue both real and imagined. She almost ends up in a sleazy movie, tricked by the director and his “streamlined crew” of one guy. Thor Cameron sports the funniest comb-over I’ve ever seen as Rushmore, the director, while Charley McMullen as Keith, the cameraman does his bidding.

She also meets a bumbling fellow traveler played by Paul Abeyta and a couple of small time thugs, Cody Griebel and Clay McCaw. Geoffrey Simmons is particularly hilarious as Raul, the shifty kleptomaniac whose petty thievery is the catalyst that sets the chaos in motion. Leigh Hunter rounds out the cast as Senora Valdez, a woman of discriminating taste, and Brena Adams as Victoria, Rushmore’s former leading lady and world-class busybody. The ensemble cast is consistently up to the task. Everyone involved delivers the rapid-fire dialogue with confidence and timing that is a technical achievement in an of itself. In fact, the play is at it’s best when there is more than one scene going on at the same time, enabled by the clever set design.

It would be impossible to describe the plot in detail, as it is so wildly chaotic, suffice it to say, you should come prepared to pay attention. By the end, this reviewer felt as though I’d just been through one of June’s aerobics sessions, but in a good way. The relentless comedy and plot twists make this a farce worth seeing. On a personal note, this is my first local theater experience and I must say, if the Impossible Players and other theater groups are delivering this high caliber entertainment, Tinseltown will be seeing a lot less of me.
"Bottoms Up!" continues April 17, 23, 24, 30 and May 1. Show times are 7:30 pm and 2:00 pm on April 24th and May 1st. Call 719-542-6969 for information and reservations.

-John Brown, Reviewer
PPAG