The show: “Hooray for Harry Wood,” presented the Wetumpka Depot Players through July 27. A play, written by Birmingham’s Doug Segrest and Wetumpka’s Kristy Meanor, about four eclectic people, relics of Hollywood’s Golden Age, fighting to keep living together in a Burbank, California, guest house that a Hollywood studio is trying to take away from them.
The cast: Scott Page (Harry Wood), Janis Roeton (Claire de Lune), Jenifer Hollett (Edith), Brad Sinclair (Elmer), Sarah Kay Worley (Blanche), with Eric Arvidson, Dow Harris, Sydney Burdette Humphrey, Jay Russell in other roles.
The crew: Directed by Meanor, with set design by Charles Eddie Moncrief, costume design by Suzanne Booth, and lighting design by Thomas Rodman and Brandon Vick.
The highlights: Played out on a beautifully designed set, “Harry Wood” has an interesting lead character in Harry, a one-time Hollywood star now reliving his glory years through his misfit band of Hollywood friends. He’s well played by Page, who is supported by Roeton, Hollett and Sinclair as his friends and Worley as his assistant. They are fun characters, and all have nice moments during the play.
A lot going on: There’s a lot going on here, maybe too much at times. The first act, in particular, could use some streamlining. A running gag about sound designer Elmer’s loss of hearing tires quickly, but it goes on and on, and there are some off-color jokes, mostly built around characters’ names, that could be omitted. The playwrights are still working on their show, and some judicious editing could sharpen the edges of a play that has an interesting story at its core.
Bottom line: A love letter to classic Hollywood that hits its mark from time to time but could use a bit more focus and clarity.
“Hooray for Harry Wood,” presented by Wetumpka Depot Players through July 27.
