Geyser! a New Play by Kevin Killian and Wayne Smith

The picture isn't good, but the play was.








Small Press Traffic hosted the premier of Geyser! on Friday, September 12, 2008.


Geyser! takes place in a small town in Oregon where the short-lived TV series Geyser was filmed. Many locals appeared in the series and although the town's geyser hasn't gone off in 30 years, the town is hosting the convention of the Geyser fan club. Geyser, the TV show ended with the death of one of its stars, Lawrence Kansas, shot on location. His murder is unsolved until the close of Geyser! the play.


I arrived just before it all began. The cast was huge including:

Kala Milosevich as Kitty Potter, host of "Kitty Corner" (She purred her way through the piece in the most delicious southern accent! I could listen to her all day.)

Rex Ray as Rick Penny, host of "Rick Penny Among the Many" (Slippery, so slippery! Rick and Kitty are rival talk show hosts.)

Wayne Smith as Crimmins the beleaguered butler of a great star [Marjorie Cantrell]

Kevin Killian as Marjorie Cantrell, the first lady of the American theater (She hasn't left her home in thirty years. No make-up for this gal--just lots of sunscreen. She's photophobic!)

Gerald Corbin as Celebrity Stylist Maurice Anton (So smooth!)

Craig Goodman as Jared Oriole of Sherman Oaks (What was the line? --He's the sparkplug around which everything revolves. He's the organizer of the Geyser fan club. He's supposed to to be marrying Anouk at the fan club conference but instead marries Klanglar from Iceland.)

Tanya Hollis as Anouk, Jared's fiancee from Brittany (So French, so moody, oui! oui!)

Mac McGinnes as Wilford Hall, town clerk (Perfectly doddering.)

Jocelyn Saidenberg as Klanglar Gunnarsdottir, from Iceland (Her high-pitched voice and inverted syntax, those furs and glasses!--Jocelyn, was that really you?)

Laurie Reid as Mayor Constance Strode (So Palin-like in her glasses and suit with her hair swept up. But Constance has a heart and a long lost son.)

Colter Jacobsen plays Charlie Strode, Mayor Strode's son, a local fan and a clown, known as "Buttons" (Charlie dropped out of RISD to join the Radical Clown Collective, and needs to ask his mother for money to pin on the trees in the forest.)

Glen Helfand as Michael Carson, local fan and owner of a bed'n'breakfast place

Lindsay Wagner, a dangerously deluded fan is played by David Brazil (He and Tanya, aka "Anouk" draped around each other were fab.)

Donna Mangiafranni, fan from Florida was suavely underplayed by Margaret Tedesco

Stephen Boyer played Teddy French, life partner of Michael Carson (His crossed leg swinging boyishly.)

Suzanne Stein played Molly Martin, Twin Cities fan (Her room sports a blown up photo of Dennis Quaid, close-up of his midriff, I believe.)

Taylor Brady as Gypsy Kincaide, truck driving fan (Who could have believed Taylor, one of the more articulate speakers out there could so convincingly play someone of so few words!)

Cliff Hengst as Bobo, clown leader (Charismatic as the leader of the radical clown collective. Cliff and Kevin (Marjorie) perform a duet at the play's close of "Send in the Clowns.")

Anne McGuire as Buttercup, a clown

Scott Hewicker as Dennis Quaid

Timken Hall was packed for the play and a good time was had by all. At some point in the middle of the play, there was a momentary lag, but it was only momentary. The theater was filled with bouts of raucous laughter. The cast obviously enjoyed themselves too. Kudos to all.