HAM-LET’S  presented  “The Good Doctor” by Neil Simon –  Sunday evening.  “Of course Neil Simon never wrote a bad play,” said Producers  Harry & Marty Ebeling.  “But this play has always been one of our favorites…we ‘did’ it for ‘Ham-Let’s’ in the eighties  and it was so much fun – that we opted to ‘do’ it again!”  

“The only ‘actress’ from our eighties production who’s still a member is Doris Skipton  and nobody can replace Doris, so she will ‘reprise’ her role.  I will introduce to you – the ‘Good Doctor’ – who is played by Pete Kuntz.  ‘The Good Doctor’ is the narrator and he’s a Checkhov-ish or Tolstoy-ish character from the late 19th or early 20th century Russia…and…”

Pete appears with a white fuzzy moustache, white fuzzy side-burns, white fuzzy hair, tall fuzzy-fur top hat, frock-coat, gold watch chains, high black boots, gold spectacles – and spouting Russian phrases like …das vedanya and oshen horasho etc.  “I am jotting down some ideas for plots, or for plays, or… you can aid me in suggesting alternative ‘endings’.  This first idea I’ve named ‘The Sneeze’…it’s set in a theatre…

A most elegant ‘couple’ appear.  The very tall, forbidding looking gentleman is an admiral, or a general, or something very important – but he’s really Jim Cunningham. A quite-common looking couple take seats behind him.  The commoners are John Ferneding & Shari Price.  Soon after the concert begins Common-John explodes with a gigantic-juicy-germ-ridden sneeze that drenches the head-neck-be-medaled-jacket of General-Jim.  The mopping, apologizing, and groveling begins followed by two more scenes in the General’s office the next day – and the day after that….and finally Checkhov-Pete asks the audience:  “Should Common-John be sent to Siberia – or – inherit five million rubles?”

In ‘The Surgery’ Jim Cunningham is a village priest with his head wrapped-up – in the local dentist’s office.  A white-coated ‘dentist’ looks a lot like Pete Kuntz – and he’s not actually the dentist  “But I’ve had a lot of experience…open wide please.” The priest refuses…”I’ve had this tooth ache for six years, and…where’s the dentist?” Of course this scene ends with Pete wielding a large pair of pliers on top of priest-Jim who’s fallen to the floor…and probably the funniest thing for the audience was watching Adele Good and Dick Good watching their son Jim in the play.  Adele had tears running down her face…”Jim’s forty-five and he’s never been in a play in his life…I’ve never laughed so hard…he didn’t get this ‘talent’ from me!”

But the skit “Defenseless Creature” really brought down the house!  The local bank president (Jim) is helped to his desk by his flunky (John Ferneding) –  Jim’s leg is swathed in bandages ‘cause his gout is killing him.  “The slightest sounds sends me into spasms of pain!”  Flunky-John tippy-toes out – to return with an irate Doris Skipton. Doris is a poverty-stricken wife of an invalid…wearing a frazzled  white wig, stockings rolled at the ankles…you get the picture.  She has been to dozens of bureaus, offices, and agencies demanding her twenty-four rubles and twelve kopecs…and the louder she gets the wilder the bank president becomes.  When Flunky-John finally drags her out she promises banker-Jim  she’ll be back next day…and banker-Jim shouts:  ‘Give her the money – out of my personal account…anything!”

A great Sunday-night-supper was served by co-hosts Dana Cunningham and Marge Kuntz.  Pete & Marge had two guests – their daughter, Midge Wagener and granddaughter Grace.  Wageners live in Chicago  and “…we’re here on a ‘looking at colleges trip’ for Grace,” said Midge.  “So far, she seems to like U.D. best of all.”

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