Moon Over Buffalo is the story of an acting couple are on tour in Buffalo in 1953 with a repertory consisting of Cyrano de Bergerac (revised one-nostril version) and Noël Coward’s Private Lives. This backstage farce by the author of Lend Me a Tenor brought Carol Burnett back to Broadway and also starred Philip Bosco as her megalomaniac, often drunk husband and leading man.

Fate has given these thespians one more shot at starring roles in The Scarlet Pimpernel epic and director Frank Capra himself is en route to Buffalo to catch their matinee performance.

If comedies and farces are your favorite choice of theatre, then Moon Over Buffalo, is sure to please. If you're an actor or a wanna-be actor, then you'll love it even more. It's one of those plays that shows the scenes behind the onstage scenes. In Moon Over Buffalo, there are really three plays intertwined with each other. And, being a farce, you have all the craziness that includes five doors opening and closing, people hiding in closets, half-dressed actors, near misses in running into people who are hiding, mistaken identities and mass confusion. Timing is everything...and as the show goes on the timing gets better and better

Character Descriptions:

George Hay: (Late 40's-50’s) is very dramatic, a slapstick type, over- the-top actor. As leader of his own acting troupe, George has always had aspirations to be famous. He’s a bit of a ladies man but really is devoted to his wife, Charlotte. The actor must be able to do strong physical comedy, which could include pratfalls, running, stage slaps, stage combat, etc.

Charlotte Hay: (Late 40's-50’s) is very much a drama queen. She helps to run the acting troupe and plays all the leads even the ones she’s a bit old for. She is a consummate actress who still has dreams of being a star--at all costs! She loves George but is getting tired of his philandering. She has to be able to do an upper-class British accent. Some physical comedy required.

Ethel: (late 60's) is Charlotte's mother--close to her daughter, but not happy with her daughter’s choice of a husband. She is also an actress- -very witty, and doesn't take any crap from anyone! She is very hard of hearing, which leads to comic misunderstandings. Rosalind Hay: (mid-to-late 20's) George and Charlotte's daughter, used to be an actress and a member of their acting troupe, but she decided that she wanted a real career, so she left--determined never to act again--or be like her parents! Rosalind is, in fact, always repressing her dramatic side, but it’s a losing battle by the end. She has a new fiancé, Howard, but she used to be in love with an actor in her parent's troupe, Paul. The actress has to also be able to do an upper-class British accent.

Howard: (late 20's-early 30’s) is Rosalind's fiancé--a weatherman--so he considers himself to be in the "acting" business. He comes across as a wimp, a little annoying, nervous, and very excitable. The actor must be able to do strong physical comedy.

Eileen: (early 20's) is an aspiring actress, eager to please. She has a crush on George and has been having a fling with him. Eileen wants to be a leading actress with the company, and she comes across very flighty and naïve, but ultimately will do anything to get what she wants. She can be played as a bit manipulative.

Paul: (late 20's-early 30’s) is a member of the acting troupe, who used to be with Rosalind and still loves her and wants her back; but he is an actor first and foremost, so he wouldn't leave the troupe to be with her. Paul has a quiet, subtle sense of humor and often holds the company together. The actor must be able to do an upper-class British accent and must be able to do strong physical comedy.

Richard: (50's) He is George and Charlotte's attorney, but he is in love with Charlotte--always trying to get her to leave George. He is wealthy and used to getting what he wants, and he is both amused and perplexed by the Hay family.