High Times at the Diner (Derby Dinner Playhouse)
May 23
3 min read
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119
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Half Baked Written by Joe Simonelli and Lori Sigrist Directed by Tina Jo Wallace Review by Kate Barry
Entire contents are copyright @2025 by Kate Barry. All rights reserved.
Shenanigans ensue when a pair of retired brothers becomes desperate to save their beloved diner from ruin in the Derby Dinner Playhouse’s season opener Half Baked. A feel good comedy with Baby Boomers up front and center, the play stays lighthearted even in the stickiest of situations. Action packed and a little corny, this production leans into every comedic moment without hesitation.
J.R. Stuart and Michael Drury play Odd Couple-style brothers, Jay and Sonny. Stuart’s Jay is quick witted with schemes and always looking to get rich quick or a hot tip. Stuart keeps the pandemonium afoot as one simple plan to alter an appetizer recipe leads to all sorts of mayhem, including a potential murder! He does well to keep the multiple deceits and lies in the air until they hilariously come crashing down around him. Drury’s Sonny is a by-the-book worry wort with a load of millennial jokes. At a pivotal moment in the second act, Drury’s Shakespearean monologue is delivered with expert execution and a wink to the audience. Stuart provides a great fool for Drury’s straight man.
But Jay and Sonny are not alone in their attempt to keep the diner open. Georgette Kleier’s Martha brings smarts as Jay’s wife. Incredulous to Jay’s actions, Kleier brings a hearty performance of woman who knows how to get a job done. At first glance, Martha appears to be trapped in an unhappy marriage, Kleier brings levity and enough layers to the performance to avoid any kind of cliché. Tasha Hatchett brings a notable supporting performance as Veronica, Sonny’s wife. A character who is oblivious of schemes yet a confidant to Martha.
The play lends itself to comedy of all kinds. Without spoiling too much of the play, a major plot point revolves around baking marijuana into the appetizers. The consumption of these edibles never feels taboo but rather a play wink and nudge to the audience. As Marty played by Clyde Tyrone Harper imbibes, he delivers lines about feeling hungrier than when he arrived with plenty of irony. The more Harper’s character’s unwittingly eats and shares these appetizers, the funnier it becomes. The notion of ingesting a product that is still illegal in some states and remarking on its effects will always evoke the giggles.
Sara King and Ben Teitelbaum bring larger than life performances to their supporting characters. King is sultry and far from intimidating as a Russian loan shark. She and Stuart’s moments of a sexual tryst play nicely as they lose clothing and appear with flour handprints in very suggestive places. Teitelbaum brings a Jim Carrey- physicality to Ethan. Further, his performance is a silly representation of a Millennial who has no idea who Elvis is despite serving a spot on impersonation.
If you are expecting an onstage version of the 1998 movie of the same name starring Dave Chappelle, this play is nothing like that. Half Baked at Derby Dinner Playhouse never takes itself seriously, nor should it. This play has plenty of laughs, suitable for whatever state of mind you might be experiencing.
Half Baked
Derby Dinner Playhouse
May 21-June 29 2025
525 Marriott Dr.
Clarksville, IN 47129
(812) 288-8281
