‘According to Rumour’

By Kristin Skye Hoffmann

What could be better than spending a windy, Sunday afternoon at the theater? As soon as I arrived at The Impossible Playhouse, I realized I wasn’t the only person who had that idea. I joined the matinee’s lengthy cue to buy my ticket and took a moment to marvel at just how many folks in Pueblo still love attending live theatre. Puebloans who are fans of “The Imp” know that their theater is housed in a Gothic building that was once the former Christian Science Reading Room. I have always considered a theater to be similar to a church so this location seems only appropriate.

Today’s performance was “According to Rumour,” a British farce by playwright Robert Scott and produced by Pueblo’s oldest community theatre group, The Impossible Players. The crowd had great energy and I could tell they were ready to laugh while they enjoyed freshly popped corn from the concession stand, along with a surprise treat: exclusively British candies imported especially for the occasion! (I recommend Cadbury’s Curlywurlys, or for the purists, the delicious Dairy Milk chocolate bars.)

The play follows the recently divorced Carter (Taylor Cardinal) who we meet the morning after an evening of drunken mourning/celebration, which has left him extremely hungover with some serious gaps in his memory. Along with his bumbling best friend, Roger (Elijah Aguilar), a strange, naked woman named Kitty (Lisa Boleman) who has slept over, which wouldn’t be so much of a problem except that it is 8am and his mother, Harriet (Kadi Johnson), his sister, Emma (Amanda Cardinal), and her new fiancé, Logan (Jeff Garman), are on their way over. The house is a bachelor-style disaster and there just happens to be a mysterious bag filled with £50,000 cash in the ice box!

PSJ director kicks off theatre series with Impossible Players play review

What unfolds is a performance filled with mystery, wordplay, misunderstandings, a wide array of dialects and twist after comedic twist. Co-Directors Jenn Jaco and Bill Wright have assembled a fun and energetic cast. Cardinal does an excellent job as the straight man, but never shies away from the physical comedy the role requires. In fact, 90% of the cast must go all-in on some impressive physical buffoonery that really does what it is designed to do: make the audience laugh! Aguilar is absolutely a standout in that department. Boleman shines as Kitty, the seductive and hilarious femme fatale. She plays a wide variety of energetic levels which really keep the story moving. Equally seductive is Johnson’s portrayal of Harriet. She did excellent work, fully committing to the confusion in which she is caught up.

The set design, which is the front room of Carter’s home, could have used a bit more detail, and the sound levels could have used a bit more tweaking, but overall the technical elements did a good job supporting the action on stage.

I’d love to share more specifics but it would be a true shame to spoil any of the lovely surprises

To get involved with the Pueblo Performing Arts Review Squad, email squad@pueblostarjournal.org.

Friday March 3 @ 7:30pm

Saturday March 4 @ 7:30pm 1201 N Main St. Pueblo, Co. 81003

For reservations: call (719) 542-6969 or visit https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/according-to-rumour-629979 and hilarious recurring comedy bits this team has put together for you. “According to Rumour” has two more performances so if you’re looking for some entertaining foolishness, do yourself a favor and get over to The Impossible Playhouse this weekend.