by Jess Hoffman
Sand Lake Center for the Arts is currently offering a truly local production: a musical, titled A Fine Family, written and directed by local theater’s own Susan Frost and James Holmes. The play concerns a family, as the title indicates, one that is fraying at the seams and fraught with tension and trying oh so hard to act like they are just fine.
From beginning to end, A Fine Family has no shortage of laughs. The show opens with a very funny song in which a high-strung wife sings about how she would like to murder her husband (for the crime of running very late with an errand). This cheeky song about murdering one’s spouse might make the audience believe that they are in for a dark and irreverent comedy about dysfunctional family dynamics, but that is not really what follows. After its initial song, A Fine Family turns into a wholesome and family friendly production about a family that bickers, gossips, and complains about one another but who ultimately love and even respect each other. It still has plenty of laughs, but the tone of the beginning and end of the show don’t quite jive with the middle. This, in addition to much pointed avoidance of swear words and a fairly adult examination of family dynamics, makes me wonder what target audience A Fine Family intends to engage. But as much as the tone of A Fine Family is a bit mismatched, it’s never so problematic that it detracts from its comedic value.
A Fine Family is performed by a very talented cast of local performers, and there is much acting talent on display at SLCA. Christine Vermilyea and Bill Douglas lead the show with comedy and warmth as a husband and wife whose relationship is strained by the wife’s outside stresses. Amy Hausknecht shines as the family mediator whose attempts to stay positive and non-judgemental in the face of family drama are both admirable and a little naïve. Debra Burger lights up the stage as the “crinkly” (this is the euphemistic word the family uses to describe family members who are a little out of their mind) cousin Rhian. With limited stage time, Burger is nevertheless the most memorable part of this show as she commands the stage in her ostentatious hat and multiple shades of pink. (Costume designer Lois Staugaitis deserves commendations for creating such an outlandish costume that is still not so garish that it distracts the audience from Burger’s performance.)
As much as I love Burger’s performance and the character she portrays–a character who, quite frankly, I aspire to be like as I age into an eccentric old auntie–her character also illustrates the inconsistent tone of the play. The arrival of “crinkly” Rhian is anticipated throughout the play with apprehension and occasionally dread; one might assume that her arrival will bring some sort of mental breakdown, midlife crisis, shocking revelation, or other action that will amp the play up to a dramatic climax. Her actual reason for calling this family meeting is disappointingly reasonable and does not live up to the expectations set by the rest of the play. And so A Fine Family rolls to a heartwarming close, but never delivers the dramatic crescendo I hoped for.
Looking at the cast bios shows a wealth of acting credits with an abundance of major roles in wonderful and complex local theater productions. As I previously pointed out, this abundance of skill is apparent throughout the play. But as I looked through the impressive credits of the ensemble, I was struck by the lack of musical credits boasted by most of the cast. This lack of experience is unfortunately also quite apparent. While the acting talent in the cast is unbridled, the vocal abilities of the ensemble left something to be desired. Most of the singing was decent enough, but James Holmes’s score is ambitious and I caught several instances where the performers tried and failed to push themselves vocally. The best vocal performances were thus from the actors that knew their limitations and stayed within their ranges. Michael Gialanella’s solo song about being the quiet, shy wallflower is quite well sung, as is Suzanne Baker’s humorous song in praise of exercise, for exactly this reason.
Luckily, musical talent is not lacking in the ensemble. Linda Thorburn, Remy Orth, Lilian Thornton, Daryl Hansen, and Lori Farrell all give excellent vocal performances as “the crew” and provide an animated and slightly absurd backdrop to the family drama that unfolds. It may have been a risky choice to have children and adults in the crew, but the varied ages of the group works well in a story about family.
All in all, A Fine Family isn’t perfect, but there is plenty to enjoy. Particularly discerning audience members, or those with perfect pitch, may have a hard time overlooking the play’s flaws. But easygoing theatergoers looking for a laugh will enjoy A Fine Family for its humor and heart.
Sand Lake Center for the Arts presents A Fine Family by Susan Frost and James Holmes, directed by Susan Frost with musical direction by James Holmes. Playing at 2880 NY 43 Averill Park, NY. Runs from April 25-May 4, 2025. Assistant directed, stage managed, and produced by Val Kavanaugh. Cast: Christine Vermilyea as Chris, Bill Douglas as Ken, Sophia Sorensen as Hailey, Lyric Semaia as Teagan, Eric Washburn as George, Linda Thorburn as Carol, Jim Hulihan as Fred, Suzanne Baker as Brenda, Mihcael Gialanella as Will, Amy Hausknecht as Liz, Emalyn Diehl as Heather, Debra Burger as Rhian, Paula Hoffay as Denise, and Linda Thorburn, Remy Orth, Lilian Thornton, Daryl Hansen, and Lori Farrell as The Crew. Props and Production design by Sue Frost. Set design by Bob Dawes and Sharon Dawes. Lighting design by Laura Darling. Costume design by Lois Staugaitis. Choreography by Ann Morris.
Performance dates are Friday-Sunday. Friday, and Saturday curtains are at 7:30pm and Sundays are matinees only at 2:30pm. Tickets are $20. Runs approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes with one intermission. Tickets are available online at https://square.link/u/tEwV9otv, or at the door for any performance. For more information visit https://www.slca-ctp.org/ or call 518-674-2007.