Gypsy Productions’ play “Who Took the Last Ketchup? One Hell of a ‘Holiday Vacation’” is hilarious, witty, sexy and realistic with hints of the philosophic.
It is the second original script by Michael Matteo that Trevor Keller directs after “An Evening with Mr. Johnson: It’s Hard Being a Dick.” Keller says he had a script of the new play for four years, and when the Flamingo Resort began setting the Blu Room as a theater venue, he added the holiday theme to the original script.
Actors Peter Konowicz (Max), Skyla Luckey (Lena) and Eddy Ganim (Walter), brought unique features to their characters, says Keller. “That’s the nice thing about working with an original that has not been produced before: You don’t have a set design because it’s never been created before, so each of the actors really went into creating the character and bringing to them more than what was written on the page and had ideas that went beyond just what was told to them by the script.”
Keller notes that Konowicz is a “well-seasoned actor,” that Luckey’s energy and precise timing are impressive and that Ganim, as a gay man, has an understanding that brought a depth of feeling to the homeless drag queen character he plays.
From the opening seconds the play captivates the viewer with humor and pragmatism as it examines the raw relationship between husband and wife on their last night of a Florida vacation (or a “cruel and unusual punishment,” as Lena proclaims it) when they encounter an unexpected guest.
The show at the Flamingo Resort’s Blu Room Theater runs December 3 through 21 on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and Sundays at 2 p.m. More information can be found at flamingofla.com.
Keller says if the Flamingo dedicates the space to theater full-time, “We would look at coming back in and doing some other shows, but we don’t have any definite plans other than to bring in variety acts or cabaret shows.”
