Funny Little Thing Called Love

Director's Notes

Courtesy photo

April 27, 2017

You've heard them all before, haven't you? "Love is in the air," "love is a many splendored thing" or "to know me is to love me."

Of course, there's my all-time favorite from the J. Geil's Band of the 80s: "Love stinks."

Many of us can easily say we've loved before. It doesn't necessarily mean it was reciprocated, but love is love whether the feelings are returned or not.

Once again, playwrights Jesse Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten are spot on as they recount similar stories in their hilarious play, Funny Little Thing Called Love. They not only touch on relationships that we've all experienced or witnessed, they do it in a way that makes us laugh at ourselves.

Arena Dinner Theatre has enjoyed two other plays by these authors: The Dixie Swim Club and last season's Always a Bridesmaid. As some of you may remember, these shows were about Southern women and the bonds they share.

Funny Little Thing Called Love is special on two levels. The first is the fact that this cast consists of both men and women. The second is that they break away from writing about their deep South traditions. In fact, they allow us to travel with these whacky characters all around the world.

The premise behind this gem is that there is a full moon creating love in the air everywhere you look. Act One begins in San Francisco, then moves on to Dallas and Hawaii. Act Two takes us to London, and we conclude in a New York high-rise apartment complex.

This is such a fun piece because each scene is filled with different characters, yet all scenes occur on the same night.

I was fortunate enough to have an amazing group of actors turn out for auditions. Only a few of them are playing more than one character. That, coupled with their experience, gives us the extra push needed as audience members to truly envision all of these different characters falling in love in one night. Of course, the costumes by Jill Bixler and Pam Good, help cement the charade. I hope you'll bring your spouse, significant other or a group of friends and join us for another night of great comedy.