It’s safe to say that Mitch Albom’s funny, funny play And the Winner Is fits neatly into the author’s canon of inspirational works for which he is justly known (he wrote Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven, just in case you don’t recognize the name).
And the Winner Is is a light, entertaining confection that has at its heart a warm connection with important human values about how we treat—or should treat—each other.
So it’s our treat that Wine Country Theatre is presenting the comedic farce at the SLO CTE Foundation Encore Center in Paso Robles through April 26. And it’s to our delight that the cast includes Gregory de Martini and Russell Snow in the leading roles: These are two performers we can always count on to deliver their best when cast in local theatre productions.
Begging comparisons to the film It’s a Wonderful Life, the play has a “would we think about life differently if we were staring death in the face?” vibe. Snow plays a Clarence-the-Angel character (here known as Seamus) and de Martini takes on the Jimmy Stewart role of an everyman who gets most of what he wishes for on this earth, but who has to die to discover if what he wished for was really that important.
. . . you don’t have to do anything to earn your prize except buy a ticket, take a seat, and wait for the fun to begin.”
As a matter of fact, you can’t help but think of de Martini as a modern-day James Stewart here. He has a delivery that’s funny but sincere, a face that telegraphs what he’s thinking every moment he’s on stage, and a voice that can go from a growl to a shriek in an instant. He’s perfect in a role that requires equal amounts of astonishment and acceptance. Snow is delightful, as are supporting players Geoff Higgins, Amanda Robinson, Brianna Otiveros and Edgar de la Cruz.
The entire company acts as if they are having a ball (especially with some of the physical demands of their parts—rolling out of a chute half-dressed and acting out hilarious Chippindales-like dance routines are some of the more entertaining bits) and director Cynthia Anthony gives the actors plenty to work with.
The script is comical and often self-referential (de Martini tosses off his film actor character’s disdain for his stage coumterparts with a flip “Live theatre is for losers,” getting a hearty laugh from the audience.) Costumes by Grace Anthony and specialty props by Robin Smith add to the fun. My only quibble is that the play itself is too short; its two-acts-plus-one-intermission are over in less than an hour-and-a-half.
But we all know where this is going, in a warm-hearted and satisfactory way. Without a doubt the winner of Wine County Theatre’s latest show is the audience, and you don’t have to do anything to earn your prize except buy a ticket, take a seat, and wait for the fun to begin.