As the oldest and most pickled actor in the company, Christopher Kinslow is entirely convincing as an old man, losing his faculties but still bright enough to handle a small role. I'm not even 100% sure Mr. Kinslow really isn't an older gentleman. It doesn't matter, because he is THAT good either way. Jonathan Scheffenacker, as the, um, dimmest actor onstage, is an absolute scream. It is harder to act dumb than it looks, and boy, is this guy dumb as a rock! Mr. Scheffenacker's timing and physical comedy abilities are top notch. Ryan C. Airey as the director has the added challenge of doing most of his performance from the audience and out of sight. His vocal gifts are such that you don't even need to see his face to fully visualize the scowls on his face or the impatient eye rolls or the slow burns to calm down. When he is finally onstage, he is as adept at the physical as he is with the vocal. 
Kelly Lyons, as the actress bent on smoothing everyone's ruffled feathers, does a fantastic job of being both the calm at the center of the storm and just as funny as everyone else. She is also saddled with probably the most key prop usage and does excellent work with them as well. Drew Hahn as the impatient actor/company lothario is a stitch as he tries to suck up to the director while simultaneously criticizing him. Mr. Hahn's hand gestures are superb, often filling in the blanks where words fail him, and at one point his physical comedy skills are revealed to be equally well done.
Lindsey M. Nixon's take on the most famous role in the show (Dorothy Loudon played her on Broadway, Patti LuPone in the revival, and Carol Burnett in the film version) is drop dead hilarious. What a way this young woman has with body language – thoroughly convincing as an older woman, an exasperated woman and a vengeful woman, all told by the way she carries herself. This physicality is matched by impeccable timing and laugh out loud facial expressions. Her accent is perfect, and she manages to make sardines a laugh riot for the entire two hour forty-five minutes of the show. Finally, there is
Renee Rogers, who plays the airhead actress, capable only of doing her lines as rehearsed and in that order. That she is incapable of ad-libbing adds a giant layer of hilarity to the entire show, and Ms. Rogers plays it to the hilt. A smart actress, she realizes that even the dumbest blonde has to have heart and a nugget of smarts buried deeply, no matter how dumb she is. That Ms. Rogers does most of her acting in a blue satin teddy (and often on her hands and knees) is a testimony to her commitment to the role. I may never again think of a contact lens again without thinking of her.
So, as I said from the outset, you can not get much better than this fine production at Towson University. Your money goes to a great cause (the Theatre Arts Department), and you are certainly seeing some of the stage's stars of tomorrow.
PHOTOS: By Erik Gazillo, courtesy of Towson University. TOP to BOTTOM: Ryan C. Aiery, Emily McKinley Hill and Christopher Kinslow; Jonathan Scheffenacker.
