So glad Players put this Carol Burnett time together

At first the idea of the Panhandle Players presenting a series of skits from the Carol Burnett Show seemed like it would be, as they say, “a tough act to follow.”

Here we have one of television’s greatest comedians, whose hour-long show that debuted in September 1967 went on to win nearly two dozen Emmy Awards and multiple Golden Globes over the next 11 years.

An ensemble cast that included Tim Conway, Harvey Korman, Lyle Waggoner, and Vicki Lawrence, who could outdo that?

It seemed like a daunting challenge for the Panhandle Players, when weighed against such a towering legacy.

As it turned out, they made a smart decision and the cast met the challenge earlier this month.

Inside of a strikingly effective set, bright and expansive, the actors, of which there were nearly two dozen, presented a brisk, well-timed performance that succeeded above all because it was clear their hearts were in it.

In order of appearance, Bob Inguagiato, Tammy Owen, Josh Hall, Faith Lynch, Sarah Madson, Bob Siman, Daleen Diegert, John Schroeder, Lorri-Anna Tate, Kathy McKendree, Hendrix Lynch, Renee Valentine, Torben Madson, Laura Ward, Nick Avossa, Jeana Crozier, Scott Davis, Royce Rolstad, Sally Crown, Jerry Hurley, and Christopher Creek, deserve a big round of applause.

The evening consisted of 11 skits, that the directors, of which there were five – Valentine, Tate, Judy Loftus, Dan Floyd, and Graham Dewsbury – divvied up amongst themselves.

Both on stage and behind the stage, there was an ensemble spirit, a group sharing, that brought it all alive.

Plus there were elaborate touches, such as the use of the CES-lettered valance from the now-replaced Chapman Elementary School that was transformed, complete with a giant rod, into the comic outfit worn by Starlett O’Hara in “Gone With the Breeze,” a shortened version of Burnett’s classic skit “Went With the Wind.”

And the sound effects were well-timed, which added to the laughmaking. 

There was never a reason to change the channel on any of the skits. I’m so glad we had this time together.

Next up for the Panhandle Players are auditions Sunday, Jan 5 at 3 p.m. at the Chapman Theatre, and Monday and Tuesday, Jan. 6 and 7, at 6 p.m. for the upcoming show Little Shop of Horror to be performed April 10-13.

The parts include Seymour Krelborn, the florist’s clerk; Audrey, the secret love of his life; Mr. Mushnik, owner of the failing East Side flower shop; Orin Scrivello, an egotistical dentist; The Plant and the Puppet; and a host of parts, Crystal, Ronnette and Chiffon, who act as the occasional Greek Chorus.

For more information, call the director, Nick Avossa, at (845) 750-8184.