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  • LaVonna Funkhouser, playing an usher, approaches Jennifer Martin, playing Emily, during “Here We Sit.” Derrick Miller/The Duncan Banner

    Here comes the usher
September 19, 2011

DLT delivers nice place to ‘sit’

Humor-filled play is delightful, revealing

Derrick Miller The Duncan Banner

DUNCAN — I found myself laughing so hard Saturday night, I could hardly catch my breath. This doesn’t happen often, but laughter like that is a reward.

This time, the reward went to Duncan Little Theatre for its production of “Here We Sit.”

I watched some of the most humorous characters DLT has ever put on stage. I’m not just talking about the characters written into the script, but the characters given life by some of DLT’s acting veterans and newcomers.

While “Here We Sit” premiered to a nearly-sold-out crowd Friday, in the Marlow Opera House, I attended the Saturday performance. The crowd wasn’t large, but there were plenty of people in the audience.

The show, which was made possible through a grant from the Oklahoma Arts Council, was competing with the University of Oklahoma football and an Asleep at the Wheel concert and other Western Fall Festival activities in Duncan.

The DLT production pokes fun at theater, from noisy audience members to the antics of the play cast and crew members. Stage manager Ken Jones even introduced the play as making fun of the audience. For anyone who’s attended a DLT show or visits theater productions often, the subject material will be appreciated.

And there are stroke-of-genius moments throughout the production, which is broken down into a series of theater-related skits.

Tana Latham Ashford does a bit as an actress who’s had it with the audience and decides to tell them how she feels. A wide range of unusual characters are explored during an audience open forum, in which the characters portray different types of audience members.

I watched much of Act One during a rehearsal last week, and knew the show was going to touch on many theater stereotypes. I just didn’t know then how great the play was going to come together.

It’s a lot different to watch a show with the soundtrack and lighting, than it is to watch it completely unpolished, but even before “Here We Sit” fully came together, I was excited to see it.

And it wasn’t just humor. The show has a heart.

Two scenes give the audience something to think about. The first presents Darrell Ashford as a man who realizes he isn’t getting a callback for a role. But the way Ashford presents the character feels true to life.

In a scene from Act Two, Jennifer Martin plays a woman down on her luck, who finds a play based on her favorite book may be the only way to get her life heading in the right direction. In the scene, you feel the pain of Martin’s character. For a moment, you almost believe Martin is talking about herself.

As with DLT’s production of “Tuna Does Vegas,” I would like to see DLT do more productions like “Here We Sit.”

Luckily, people who missed opening weekend get an opportunity to see it at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday in the Marlow Opera House. I’d recommend the trip to Marlow to watch it.

There will also be a performance of the play on Oct. 1, at the Asbury Complex in Comanche.

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