“Golf With Alan Shepard” is not a bad show for a play about four old guys playing golf.
It opened Thursday at the Boarshead Theater, 425 S. Grand Ave. in Lansing and continues through Dec. 16.
The setting may appeal to golfers more than others, but the audience need not know anything about the sport to enjoy it.
Like many plays and their settings, this play is not about golf, but about the emotional struggles of four aging men. Don’t let that scare you away though, it does live up to its billing as a comedy.
Griff (Thom Haneline) can’t get over the death of his war buddy, Kenny. Kenny was Griff’s best friend and his death is affecting him.
Haneline turned Griff’s character into a frustrating jerk, certainly the way it should be. He’s upset at everybody and everything; nothing satisfies him.
Milt (John Peakes) is Kenny’s younger brother. He’s having a hard time living up to Kenny’s achievements and living up to Griff’s expectations. Peakes also directed the play.
Ned (Robert Hall) can’t get over his wife’s death. In the play, he goes through a life-crisis dealing with his loss.
Larkin (Larry Sharp) is a retired priest who is trying to find God. He left the church for a 19-year-old waitress named Donna.
Sharp is very funny as Larkin. His character is almost completely nuts. After quitting the priesthood, he tried to give lessons at the golf course as the resident pro, but was fired.
“I’m crazy as a loon but I can chip a ball up a ducks’ butt from 40 yards,” he muses.
The dialogue is very clever and amusing throughout the performance. Many times, the exchanges don’t do much to advance the plot, but those useless scenes are often the most entertaining.
At first, it’s hard to get used to the quick scene changes. Just when you’ve gotten into one dialogue, the scene changes to another, leaving you hanging on the last.
The lighting is also a little strange, but in a good way. The set is generally dark, with patches of light where the actors are.
A few times, during monologues, the eerie blue light makes it seem as if the actors were on the moon. But then again, that may not be too far from the truth.
That’s where the name “Golf With Alan Shepard” comes in. Shepard was the astronaut on Apollo 14 who hit a golf ball on the moon. No one saw the ball land.
So the characters wonder what happened to that golf ball. Like the disappearance of Jimmy Hoffa or the contents of a hot dog, it may forever be a mystery.
“Golf With Alan Shepard” is not a blockbuster, but it is worth the time if you’re in the mood for a good laugh.
Shows are at 7 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Regular tickets are $19 to $29, senior citizen tickets are $14 to $24 and student tickets are $8. For more information, call (517)484-7805.
