By S. Asher
McPherson College Theatre Department started off the season with Mama Won’t Fly, written by Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope, and Jamie Wooten. This comedy follows Savanah and her mission to get her mom from Alabama to California for her brother’s wedding. While it sounds like an easy task, it turns into a whirlwind road trip that makes memories to last a lifetime.
The audience was laughing throughout the whole show. It was fast paced and jumped right into unsuspecting events. The first is that mama will not fly and now they must drive to California, and the second is that instead of just Savannah and her mom, Norleen, they would also be traveling with soon-to-be daughter-in-law, Haley Quinn, who they just met for the first time that day. Once the three women were on the road it was just one thing after another. From bra museums to almost calling off the wedding, I was on the edge of my seat the entire time.
The cast of nine were constantly moving and changing from one character to another. The only actors who did not change were Katie Dix, Lexi Heckeroth, and Breckyn Portor. Everyone else had at least three to four characters that they switched into during the show. You could see the work each actor put into their different characters so that the audience would not get them confused by the last character they were. It was so funny watching Ash Oster go from an old lady in a wheelchair who smacks people to show affection, to a barfly that just lost her job at the local community theatre. My favorite part was when Toby Leffew comes out dressed as an entertainer about to perform a Las Vagas Elvis Presley wedding. I was captivated by the energy of that scene where everyone is fighting, and it was cool seeing three sets of fights with varied reasons for fighting.
Even though there was a new problem in every scene, it all ended with a happy ending. Haley realized how much she wants to get married and how important real love is. Mama Won’t Fly was a fun start to the year and brought much excitement for what is to come.
