“Lucky Stiff” Is Ready For a ‘Hilarious, Emotional, and Chaotic’ Opening Weekend
Micah Bessette
He/Him
Staff Writer
10/17/24
A tale of murder, diamonds, gambling, French people, and dogs!
From Thursday October 17th through Saturday October 19th, the Silver Center will be putting on the musical “Lucky Stiff,” directed by Beth Daily.
The story of “Lucky Stiff” starts with Harry Witherspoon, a humble shoe salesman who just received word of his estranged uncle’s death. After agreeing to the terms of a complicated last will and testament, Harry finds himself pushing his murdered uncle around the beautiful Monte Carlo in a wheelchair in exchange for 6 million dollars. All the while, he’s trying to avoid the representative of a dog shelter and his dead uncle’s gun-crazed ex.
There were many things that stood out to me throughout the musical, but generally I enjoyed the organized chaos of it all. I’ve been in several plays and musicals throughout my life, however the plot of “Lucky Stiff” was odd in a way that I’ve never seen before. It’s like a murder mystery where you know who the murderer is the whole time, but you’re still waiting to see what happens next. The character dynamic reminded me of the play “Arsenic and Old Lace,” where everyone is just a little bit annoying all the time.
All of the actors in the production were excellent, but the ones who stood out to me the most were Cyrus Bowditch as Harry Witherspoon, Lillian Graham as Rita LaPorta, Nate LaPorte as Luigi Gaudi, and Joie Lynch as Dominique DuMonaco.
There was a sense of passion and dramatism put into Rita and Dominique; both of them brought me into the world of the scene. I liked the laid-back confidence of Luigi; it made each scene feel complete and added a sense of mystery. Bowditch played Harry as perfectly uncertain; he was never quite sure what was going on or how he would get out of the situation he was in, and that creating a sense of emotional connection with the audience.
I found that all the actors added their own unique touch to their character, which I really appreciated and made the whole production feel more genuine.
The piece that really tied each element of the show together was the music. The pit orchestra was fantastic, their timing of the orchestra was impeccable, and several scenes had characters making motions in sync with the music, giving the whole production a clear professional element.
Hearing from several cast members after the rehearsal, I could feel the excitement emanating from backstage. Throughout the production process, the cast has been growing closer and each stage of rehearsal has upped the production. “When we got our costumes for the first time, it definitely brought up the energy,” said LaPorte.
Jacob Hepburn, an enthusiastic ensemble member, added, “as soon as I had the gold jacket I was like ‘yeah alright I’ve got this.’”
All the costumes seem to be a favorite among everyone, including Abigail Evans, the costume supervisor. “My personal favorites are the ones that sparkle like Dominique’s,” she said.
The scenes throughout the show are hilarious, emotional, and chaotic, and there are several that the cast hopes the audience especially enjoys. “I hope that it’s the chase scene. We spent at least three rehearsals just doing that,” said Bowditch. Some of the other favorites among the crew include the big twist, the old Texan, “the fish,” and the boy maid.
Some of my favorite scenes were the musical numbers, including “I’m speaking French,” and “Welcome back Mr. Witherspoon.” Although I thought the latter was completely pointless in moving the plot forward, I still enjoyed it, nonetheless.
There were a few awkward moments and parts that dragged on a little too long during the show, but they didn’t degrade the overall quality and production of the musical.
This was an enjoyable performance, and I’ll be curious to see what the theater department will put on in the future. With a production process that only began six weeks ago, the cast and crew are ready to put on a show!