‘Indoor/Outdoor’ purr-fect comedy

{LDQUO}Indoor/Outdoor,” the latest collaboration at Burbank’s Colony

Theatre, is a production of uncommon surprise and delight. The

central character is a cat, but don’t worry, the play bears no

resemblance to Andrew Lloyd Webber’s super-spectacle “Cats” from the

1980s. It’s a warm and genuine love story, that’s enlightening and

very, very funny.

The foremost strength of the play is in the writing by Kenny

Finkle, though the directing and acting are hot on its tail (cat pun

number one). Cliches and cutesiness are sidestepped, leaped over and

pounced upon (OK, no more puns) until we’re left with a tender story

of the true nature of relationships, the importance of communication

and the universal inclination to demand respect when you’ve killed a

mouse.

Director Stefan Novinski handles Finkle’s gift for humor with just

the right understated touches. There’s no cat preening or meowing,

but there are some really funny chasing and jumping scenes.

The actors couldn’t be better. Shana Wride plays kooky cat

therapist Matilda, who is just as surprised as the audience that she

can actually speak with Samantha, the loyal but stressed-out kitty

“owned” by Shuman, an overly emotional bachelor. Wride is one of the

lucky few to possess the comedy gene. Once she gets warmed up, her

delivery is laugh-out-loud hilarious, especially in the scenes where

she’s advising her feline patient.

Samantha, played by angelic Tessa Thompson, is great at playing

both the innocent, trusting pet and the wild tigress, though she

missed a few laughs due to a bit too much Shakespearean training.

This is no “Macbeth.”

Louis Lotorto turns in, not one, but close to a dozen quirky and

hilarious characterizations, his most lovable being Sam’s outdoor cat

paramour, Oscar. Samantha is torn between two lovers. Oscar

represents unbridled freedom and fiery hot love from the gut as

contrasted to Shuman’s love “like a warm blanket” around her. Jeff

Marlow’s interpretation of Everyman Shuman is touching and funny,

particularly when he’s forced to talk about those difficult things

... feelings.

The only weak point in the show is the choice of music. Sappy

songs like McCartney’s “Silly Love Songs” and Kravitz’s “I Want to

Get Away” are unnecessarily spotlighted and add neither poignancy nor

humor. In fact, they serve to take the audience out of its spellbound

state.

The set, however, was clever in its ability to create imaginary

walls between indoors (cozy comfort) and outdoors (exciting freedom).

The costumes are delightfully wacky and unexpected. So, other than

the music, this production is -- sorry, it must be said --

purrr-fect.

LISA DUPUY is a freelance writer living in La Crescenta.

Previously not a cat person, she’s taken to feeding the neighborhood

felines.