The cast of ‘Nana’s Naughty Knickers.’ Courtesy/LALT
Los Alamos Little Theater rang in the New Year on a light-hearted, saucy note. The organization’s production of “Nana’s Naughty Knickers” generated a lot of laughs and cheers from the audience during the opening show on New Year’s Eve.
The comedy takes place in New York City. Bridget Charles (Jes Peach) is a law student who is moving in with her grandmother, Sylvia (Bev Brunson) for the summer. On her first day in the apartment, Bridget makes a shocking discovery about her grandmother. Her nana is running a business that is kept secret from the IRS called Saucy Slips, Etcetera. She designs and creates lingerie especially for senior citizens.
While Bridget frets over legal consequences of her grandmother’s enterprise, Sylvia and her friend, Vera Walters (Pat Beck) have fun with the risqué undergarments.
If that wasn’t enough, soft-hearted cop Tom O’Grady (Marco Baca) is always stopping by to check on Sylvia and to remind Bridget she double-parked her car, while Sylvia’s landlord, Gil Schmidt, (John Gustafson) plots to get his hands on his tenant’s rent-controlled apartment.
It may be a silly story, but the talented cast delivers genuine laughs. Brunson and Beck, wearing sequined-studded sweat suits and neon-purple hair extensions, are dynamite as two partners in crime who constantly throw mocking jabs at one another. Peach’s facial expressions when she learns what her granny is up to are just priceless.
I loved all the physical comedy in the play, especially the reactions of two UPS delivery men performed by Lucio Jaurez and Brad Lounsbury, who spy all three women modeling Sylvia’s latest creations.
The Little Theater got really creative with the sets. Sylvia’s Pepto-Bismal pink apartment has some unique hiding spots for her merchandise.
However, the best thing about this play is its message that fun and excitement do not have an expiration date. Whether you are a college student or a senior citizen, there are always opportunities to laugh and enjoy a great time. What a wonderful message to start off a new year.
The Little Theatre continues its performances of “Nana’s Naughty Knickers” at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 3, 4, 10 and 11. A 2 p.m. show will be held Jan. 5. Tickets are $12 for general admission and $10 for students and seniors.
