CANORA- There were plenty of laughs at KUKU Radio, an old school radio station, as pretty much everything that could go wrong, did, at the Buchanan Black Box Players productions of The Last Radio Show on April 16 to 18.
Written by Todd Wallinger, the synopsis provides insight into this side-splitting comedy.
“It’s 1948 and KUKU Radio is in trouble. Their broadcast tower keeps falling over. The electric company is about to shut off their power. And now, they’re losing actors, one by one. Can this ragtag crew keep the show going? Or will they be shut down for good? This hilarious farce brings back the Golden Age of Radio, with crazy commercials such as Kindling Krunch (“the cereal that’s like having your own national park – in a bowl”), and even crazier shows, like The Thing With Two Spleens and Tex King. The Humming Cowboy. Of course, the best part of those old-time radio shows was the sound effects, and this play features over two dozen of them, most of which can be produced from simple household items. Don’t touch that dial. This is radio like you’ve never seen before.”
The BBBP production was directed by Erin Graas, who said the script had a wide ranging appeal for the cast.
“We were looking for a script for a smaller cast, and accommodating a wide age range in actors.”
Of course, it had to be funny, and The Last Radio Show certainly fits the bill.
We meet capable and efficient Station Engineer Maggie (Maisie Kuzminski) as she and shy but ambitious Office Boy Jimmy McPherson (Steven Wyonzek) along with generally frazzled Station Manager/Announcer Wilson DeWitt (Steve Merriam) receive a past due notice from the Electric Company stating their bill hasn’t been paid in six months.
WILSON: Of course we haven’t paid them. We don’t have any money.
Meanwhile, Jimmy continues to hound Wilson, hoping to get a chance to be an on-air performer for the first time.
JIMMY: Just give me one tiny, insignificant part and I promise I’ll never ask for anything again.
WILSON: Look Jimmy, I like you. But the last thing I need is a green actor. I have enough problems with the other colors.
But as we find out later on, at KUKU sometimes all you need to get a speaking part is to be conscious and actually able to speak.
Next we meet former London stage actor Nigel Pennyfeather (Bob Edwards), not exactly a brilliant ray of sunshine, and not a big fan of the scripts he sees at KUKU.
WILSON: You’re going to like this one. You get to be the title character. (Hands NIGEL a script).
NIGEL: (Reads). “Momentousman vs. the Hideous Maggot Monster?” I take it I’m not the superhero?
WILSON: No. You’re the vermin.
Mrs. Watt-Ryler is the owner of the station, and can’t wait to get rid of the whole crew. She enters and reminds Wilson that her dear husband Harold left her the station when he died.
MRS. WATT-RYLER: And do you know what he said to me as he lay on his deathbed?
WILSON: Get your hands off my throat?
Not amused, Mrs. Watt-Ryler said that her husband didn’t want her to ever sell KUKU, but admitted she had been tempted on occasion.
Meanwhile, Debonair leading man Danny Silvers (Darryl Goossen), a problem gambler, has resorted to wearing a dress in an effort to stay one step ahead of debt collectors. Right now it’s Knuckles Tortellini (Morley Leung), the gangster with a gun, but not exactly the smartest cookie in the jar.
WILSON: Uh oh. How much money do you owe him this time?
DANNY: Not much. Just a few thousand bucks, give or take three thousand.
WILSON: Three thousand dollars! Danny, when are you going to learn? You’ve got to stop gambling.
NIGEL: Danny? Ha! He could never stop gambling.
DANNY: Oh Yeah? (Pulls $10 bill out of his pocket). Ten bucks says I can.
Next to join the fun are Glamorous Leading Lady Gloria Lamour (Tammy Senholt) and Roxie (Mataya Bell), a ditzy but ambitious young actress.
GLORIA: Why, I remember when I was a struggling untalented actress like yourself. Slogging from audition to audition, hoping the next one would be my big break. Back then, I killed to get a job in show business.
ROXIE: Don’t you mean you “would have” killed to get a job in show business?
GLORIA: No. Not really.
After the station owner heard the station accidentally go silent the previous night, everyone is worried about losing their jobs.
GLORIA: We haven’t had a perfect show since we first went on the air.
DANNY: These microphones have been known to burst into flames.
MAGGIE: And the only thing keeping our broadcast tower up is a wad of bubble gum and some rubber bands.
Their next program is entitled Good Doctor Goode, the story of a handsome young physician who breaks as many hearts as he heals.
DANNY: What seems to be the problem?
ROXIE: Take a look for yourself doctor, the patient is gravely ill.
DANNY: I see what you mean. His face is pale, his eyes are bloodshot, and his mustache is all droopy.
ROXIE: No, no. That’s not the patient. That’s the patient’s wife.
DANNY: Forget the surgical instruments. Get me a paper bag.
GLORIA: Excuse me, doctor. Are you N.E. Goode?
DANNY: I’m not bad.
GORIA: No, I mean are you Neil Emerson Goode, the famous surgeon?
DANNY: Yes, I am, what can I do for you?
When Nigel passes out after drinking some suspicious coffee, Jimmy is the first to volunteer to fill in, but once again, Wilson turns him down, and in the same breath, tells Jimmy to move Nigel so no one trips over him.
Maggie watches them leave, prompting a conversation with Roxie.
ROXIE: You’ve fallen for Jimmy pretty hard, huh?
MAGGIE: Like a bag full of bowling balls. I just wish he felt the same way about me.
With Danny still on the run and nowhere to be found, Wilson decides to recruit Knuckles as an actor. One of his first roles is in a shampoo commercial for “Crud-Be-Gone” as a teenage girl, with Wilson as his father.
KNUCKLES: Dad, why don’t boys like me?
WILSON: Don’t be silly, Mary Ann. Of course boys like you. You’re a beautiful girl. (Signals for Knuckles to speak higher.)
KNUCKLES: (Stands on tiptoes.) But I’ve never been asked out on a date.
WILSON: Maybe it’s not you, honey. Maybe it’s your hair.
After Wilson loses his voice, Rita (Charmaine Walliln), notoriously unreliable KUKU receptionist, is ready to give up.
But Maggie encourages Jimmy to step in.
MAGGIE: Look, it’s very simple. There are only about, oh, a dozen characters in this week’s episode. Just give them a unique voice and you’re all set.
With that boost in confidence, Jimmy steps in and pulls off a flawless performance, seamlessly switching between different character voices and sound effects to save the day.
Then Mrs. Watt-Ryler returns, informing the staff that her phone has been ringing off the hook with local businesses wanting to sponsor the show after hearing Jimmy’s performance.
MAGGIE: Does that mean you’re not going to sell the station?
MRS. WATT-RYLER: Of course not! In fact, I’ve decided to expand to the station to round-the-clock broadcasting! We’ll be KUKU all day long!
Next, we discover that she had been planning to sell the station to Rita, who it turns out, was responsible for Nigel passing out after drinking her coffee.
RITA: I ain’t talking.
MAGGIE: You don’t have to. I figured it all out when I took a whiff of the coffee. You were trying to sabotage the show. You wanted it to be a complete disaster so that Mrs. Watt-Ryler would be forced to sell you the station. And sell it to you cheap.
Under the threat of being exposed to the police, Rita agrees to turn over her $3,000 down payment for the station to Knuckles, covering Danny’s gambling debt.
And, the happy endings keep on coming. With his new-found confidence, Jimmy asks Maggie to go out on a date, and she agrees.
Director Erin Graas said there were many volunteers working behind the scenes to make the production a success. With The Last Radio Show being heavy in sound effects, she gave special recognition to the lights and sound technicians.
“Les Carlson and Evan Kushneruk worked long and hard putting together sound cues,” said Graas. “Steven Wyonzek also did a great job figuring out the sound effects he did during his solo segment.”
Graas said the performances went “really well. We had three great shows, the audience members really seemed to enjoy themselves.
“We lost about half a dozen people on Thursday because of the storm, but we made arrangements for them to enjoy the show on Friday or Saturday.”
Don't count on social media to deliver your local news to you. Keep your news a touch away by bookmarking Canora Courier's homepage at this link.
Bookmark SASKTODAY.ca, Saskatchewan's home page, at this link.
