Some thoughts about: 'Funnyman' at Tipping Point Theatre

I went into the opening night performance of “Funnyman” at Northville’s Tipping Point Theatre knowing next to nothing about the play but expecting top-notch performances from those whose work I’ve observed and respected for years – or in one case, several decades. By night’s end my anticipation was not only confirmed, but surpassed.

In lesser hands, a story about a funny man whose life was anything but could easily be played overly broad. Director James R. Kuhl avoids that temptation like the plague, however, giving plenty of room to Wayne David Parker to explore the boundaries of his character, a once uber-popular comedic actor whose time has passed. A true gem of our theater community, Parker skillfully plumbs his emotional depths to explore the inner workings of a truly talented star whose onscreen and in-person theatrical antics made generations laugh, yet little did they know he was haunted by his past. (This was true of a number of well-known and beloved “clowns” of entertainment history.) It’s a depiction that can’t help but make one realize that there’s more behind an actor’s performance or public persona than we realize – that what we see on screen or on stage is only what the actor allows to share with us. And what’s behind the laughs might not be pretty. Parker navigates both – and the transitions from one to the other – exceptionally well.

“Funnyman” is not a one-person show, and Parker is surrounded by fellow onstage dynamites.  Ryan Carlson – always a major stage presence, especially in meaty dramatic roles – defies type as persnickety director Matthew Baroni, who has cast Parker’s Chick Sherman in his latest play against his better judgement. Then there’s Brandy Joe Plambeck, who lights up the stage the second he enters as playwright Victor La Plant and never dims; you can’t help but love the character. And in my head, I keep thinking of John Lepard’s Milt Karp, Chick’s longtime friend and agent, as the adult in the room, a role he plays to perfection.

John Lepard and Ryan Carlson

Completing the cast are two others, neither of whom I recall seeing before. Lani Call, currently finishing her MFA in acting at Wayne State, tackles with gusto the role of Katherine, Chick’s indignant daughter who can’t wait to confront her father for his perceived flaws in her upbringing; her scenes with Parker are especially powerful and revealing as she comes to realize there’s more to her father’s story than she ever suspected. And Matthew Smith, another Wayne State grad student, is Nathan Wise, the talented eye candy who helps the audience collect its breath as he charmingly (and sometimes not very skillfully) woos the girl of his dreams.

 As the story takes place in 1959, set designer Monika Essen has chosen a color palate that immediately places the audience in the appropriate decade. And by sheer happenstance, a patron arrived on opening night and sat in a front row center seat, coincidentally dressed to match Essen’s color scheme. When I teasingly suggested to Essen that she obviously dressed this woman and planted her there, she laughingly denied it.

And I can’t conclude without a tip of my hat to Quintessa Gallinat, whose sound designs always impress the heck out of me. This was no exception.

The Bottom Line: While you may or may not cry, you'll certain laugh at "Funnyman," yet another slickly produced and entertaining production at Tipping Point Theatre.

The Michigan premiere of “Funnyman” by Bruce Graham runs through June 30. Click HERE for show information.

Lani Call and Matthew Smith

Edited to fix a typo and for clarification 6/8/19 at 10:40 a.m.