Bullshot Crummond at Circle Bar B

Although it is for the most part a farce, the style of Bullshot Crummond also draws on the conventions of the “panto,” a distinctly British form of entertainment involving, among many other elements, slapstick humor, actors playing multiple roles (sometimes in the same scene), and a highly unlikely resolution to the plot. The best sequences in Circle Bar B’s production of Crummond have the madcap, frothy exuberance of its British original, albeit without the music. As Hugh “Bullshot” Crummond, Ray Wallenthin has a ball, handling the many cockeyed speeches and Austin Powers-style physical comedy with gusto. Matt Cooper also does a wonderful job, testing himself against the limits of quick changes and sudden transformations in no less than six separate roles. Leesa Beck vamps it up as the ferocious vixen Lenya Von Bruno, while Jenna Scanlon is consistently hilarious as the “r”-challenged Rosemary Fenton. (Or should that be “Wosemawy”?)

Somewhat less successful on the night I was there was James LeVasseur as villain Otto Von Bruno. He had the look down, but missed some of the turns in what are admittedly difficult two-part speeches. Nevertheless, Bullshot Crummond is prime Circle Bar B material—fast, funny, and a little out of control.