Written by orange• May 13, 2024• 8:01 pm• El Camino Real Playhouse, Review, Theater, Uncategorized

Sinners @ Camino Real Playhouse – Review

(photo credit:Leslie Eisner)

Written by Patrick Chavis

Sinners is playing now at the El Camino Real Playhouse May 3 – 19,2024.

Sinners at the El Camino Real Playhouse in San Juan Capistrano has a devilishly silly plot and is a lot of fun if you can get past the monotonous first act with a hilarious resolution that doesn’t come soon enough.

Story:

Sinners is a comedy that revolves around the life of furniture store owner Peter Kramer (Bill Peters), who finds himself entangled in an affair with the pastor’s wife, Monica Lloyd (Carla Naragon). When the pastor, Reverend Lloyd (Darrell Hill), discovers their secret, a series of comical events ensue.

Sinners has a strong, comical start. The back-and-forth between the anxious Peter Kramer and the dominant boarding-on narcissistic manipulator Monica brings many laughs. It really does; I couldn’t hold in my laughter. Though, the joke does wear out its welcome, and the longer it goes on, the more stale the joke becomes. The second act breathed fresh comedic air into the room with the arrival of the hilarious Kathryn Leyes Fischer. Fischer plays the mayor’s nosy wife, Carolyn Cavanaugh, and she can’t help but insert herself in every situation. She was perfect for this role. I loved her choices and couldn’t stop laughing. The show does have a fun ending.

Set Design:

The set design from Darrell Hill consists of three parts—a living room, a bedroom, and a window wide enough to see the outside patio. The show utilized these spaces quite effectively. The actors even used the outside patio window in joke parts, making the joke less predictable when it happened. It was a good design; it did more than sit in the background. The construction looked sturdy and well-constructed.

Costume Design:

Costumer Brigitte Harper made some classy choices with her wardrobe.

Selling a joke and situation can be difficult on stage, and these veteran actors do a good job for most of the performance.

Acting:

Bill Peters was fantastic in this. His delivery has a maniac energy, while Carla Lloyd’s domineering physical acting and one-liners brought much to the part.

Fans of farces and light comedic fair might get a kick out of Sinners.