Honky Tonk Fairytale

From the opening scene, Ten Cent Night, the new play at the Victory Theatre Center, written by Marisa Wegrzyn and masterfully directed by Maria Gobetti, was captivating. Wegrzyn wrote such a tight story with all the bells and whistles it should carry this piece to well-deserved fame. And the set, designed by Gary Randall, captured the mood and era with just the right touches.

Set in 1973, the story opens in a dive in New Orleans. On stage is singer, Roby Finley, a gal with attitude and pizzazz, played with extraordinary range by Tara Buck. Roby´s father was a country singer, famous for one particular song, "Ten Cent Night," that haunts everybody in the story.

Down on her luck, mostly because she refuses to sing that song, Roby takes up with a mute money runner for a shady guy there in New Orleans. Martin Papazian plays the role of Danny Doucet, using only his expressive face and gentle actions to convey a wide range of emotions. Danny cares for the troubled Roby, but she finds true commitment impossible.

Switching back to the homestead in Texas, Roby´s up-tight twin sister, Dee, has come home to settle their father´s estate. It seems, Hewitt Finley killed himself, and to top that off, he left the royalties to that famous song to someone the Finley girls can´t abide, Lila Mozelle. Dee Finley is played by gifted actress, Caitlin Muelder. Dee not only finds out her father left his one true asset to Lila, but that Lila has told her to stay away from her son, the only man Dee has ever loved, even though it has always been from afar.

To add to the trouble at home, Dee´s younger sister, Sadie, has developed a heart problem. Sadie, played poignantly by Alison Rood, writes a letter to Roby and tells her about their father´s death, and then drops the news about her bad heart. Sadie needs money for an operation. And Sadie´s twin brother, Holt, is having a hard time with the local bully, Lila´s son. Holt wants to defend his sisters, all three of them, but usually comes up short. Shane Zwiner plays Holt, a tough role that has him balance his frustration about life and his obligation toward his family, but he does it brilliantly.

To help her younger sister, Roby steals a huge stash of cash from money runner, Danny, and heads for Texas, with the money collector, Roscoe Karmar, on her heels as well as a chair handcuffed to her wrist. (You gotta see this play.)

Roscoe, played by Gareth Williams, takes his character from hot-tempered gangster to story-spinning con man to infatuated male with ease. The story he spins about finding a valuable coin during a hailstorm of dimes while listening to Hewitt Finley´s famous song was hilarious. But Roscoe just might end up losing that priceless dime.

Everybody converges on the homestead in Texas. The gal with most of the answers is Lila Bozelle, played with brass and sass by Kathy Bailey. Lila, the local madam no less, knows where all the bodies are buried, and everybody learns truths that change their lives. But remember, this is a fairytale and you never know what might fall out of the sky.

Ten Cent Night runs through July 26, 2009. It plays Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sundays at 4 p.m. Tickets: $22 and $34 (preferred seating). The Victory Theatre Center is located at 3326 W. Victory Blvd., one block east of Hollywood Way in Burbank. Reservations: (818) 841-5421. E-mail: victtory@thevictorytheatrecenter.org.