‘Greater Tuna’ a treat for playgoers

Patrick Treadway and Michael Weaver once again comically bring to life the residents of the fictional town of Tuna, Texas, population 67, in Interplayers Professional Theatre’s production of “Greater Tuna.”

This first play in the satirical “Tuna” series by Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard establishes the characters’ story lines and features a couple of pleasing plot surprises. It is composed of a series of vignettes that are loosely connected through a radio show, a convention found in other Tuna plays.

Although the story was thin, Treadway and Weaver drew plenty of laughs with their perfectly timed interplay, characterizations and sound effects, including barking dogs and a rotary phone. Even the wigs seemed like their own characters.

Treadway again portrayed big-haired witchy church lady Vera Carp and the endearing Petey Fisk, who works tirelessly for the Humane Society to save every animal, including ducks. He also played all three of Bertha Bumiller’s children, the most devious of whom is Stanley, who looks like Rod Stewart and has duct tape on his shoes. The raspy-voiced Didi Snavely sells weapons that are “guaranteed to kill.”

Weaver’s delivery of a cliché-filled eulogy as Southern Baptist minister Reverend Spikes was excellent. His Sheriff Givens sounded like a constipated Slim Pickens. Most delightful was his portrayal of Pearl Burras, an elderly woman who enjoys poisoning other people’s dogs. This leads to a fun plot twist and a hilarious moment at the end of the first act.

The second act didn’t deliver a payoff like the first, however, and the dialogue became repetitive.

“Greater Tuna” seems to have more grit than “Tuna Does Vegas,” the fourth Tuna installment, which Interplayers produced earlier this year. The redneck townsfolk are shown warts and all, from their bigotry to their drunkenness. One character holds a KKK meeting while another wants to ban the book “Roots.” The authors didn’t sanitize their characters’ backward beliefs. The ugliness in their personalities was at war with the good, which could have a comic effect. The racial jokes, though, were met with an uncomfortable nervous twitter from the audience.

The set background by Jason Laws consisted of a series of panels with openings, creating multiple entrances and exits for the actors. One never knew who was going to appear or where. That, coupled with Treadway’s direction and a backstage crew of dressers, helped make the series of scenes flow together seamlessly.

But the real trick and appeal of the show is how Treadway and Weaver adroitly embody an entire town and work so well together.