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Show lijtah County's O "k v On Entertainment sS i , j Thursday, April 8, 1982 i Published as a supplement to: American Fork Citizen, Lehi Free Press, Pleasant Grove Review and Orem-Genev- a Times 'Best Two Years' Opens At Alhambra By Marcella Walker "The Best Two Years of My Life" is a comedy about Mormon Mi-ssionaries. Further-more, it is the funniest thing I have seen in a longtime. Before we ever went to see the play, which is showing this week at Alhambra Theater in Pleasant Grove beginning at 8 p.m. each Friday, Saturday and Monday evenings, my daughter reported she had seen it twice at BYU and would like to see it again. I. too. would like to see it again. It is a riot. The play was written and directed by Scott S. Anderson who also plays the part of Elder John Rogers in the production. Apparently Scott took the ideas for the play from his own missionary ex-periences. Anyone who has been on a mission, known a missionary, or read about a missionary from the LDS Church will relate to each line of this play. I would imagine that most people leave the theater recalling similar experiences, similar characters from their own missionary days. Elder Rogers is a disillusioned missionary who has kind of given up because of a few bad experiences, including losing his girlfriend to a former companion whom he had loved as a brother. Elder Michael, played by Steve Sater, is the most average, easy going of all the story's four misisonaries who live together in an apartment in Holland. He is the district leader and doesn't suppose he will ever get a "Dear John". Elder Stevens, played by Duane Tuft, is the one who is more concerned about his appearance, his supply of girlfrieds at home than his in-teraction with his compatriots. The new man on the scene, a new. green missionary with more zeal than sense, is Elder Walker played by Tracy-Gardner- . Of course. Elder Walker is really the catalyst for the entire story, and his promised appearance as Elder Rogers new companion and the actual fact of arrival keeps the story moving along. Through the naive but zealous efforts of Elder Walker the pair actually get a golden contact and proceed to teach him the gospel. Alan Rockwell performs as Mark Hansen. the in-vestigator. The only other character in the play is the mailman who is played by Norm Black. He has no speaking lines, just crucial mail deliveries to make. Anyone who has lived with a stranger knows how their little idiosyncrasies can drive you wild. Four missionaries, all with contrasting pers-onalities, living in a small apartment, face the same problems and how they deal with it adds great humor and strings of continuity throughout the production. Elder Walker's first atterr- '.s speaking Dutch, his testimony of the Joseph Smith story, his voice and actions keep the audience laughing so hard at times as to almost miss the next lines. The jibes at each other by all the missionaries are terrific. In writing the play, Scott has interwoven the characteristics of the individuals into a big building block for the plot, action and dialogue of the play. There are some serious notes and the real meaning of what the missionaries are trying to do is not lost in the humor. In fact, the humor helps to un-derline the normalcy of it all in the very strict environment in which the Elders work. All but Elder Walker have been in the mission field long enough, Elder Rogers has two months left. Elder Michaels has six months left, and Elder Stevens has been out six months, to develop their own defenses and alibis. Elder Walker has none and brings the breath of fresh air which helps to improve the lives of all of them in the long run. Actually, this turns out to be a story of overcoming discourag-ement. We can overcome. The play tells us so. And it tells it in such a very-funn-way. Tickets for the show may be obtained at the Missionary Emporium at the University Mall or by calling the Alhambra or Mr. Major. Tickets are $4, $5, as well as a special children's rate. Ticket are available at tht door. ;. ;., P I MISSIONARIES SCOTT ANDERSON AND TRACY GARNER, give lessons to investigator Allan Rockwell, in scene from "The Best Two Years of My Life" which will open at the Alhambra on April 9. TOD AND JULIE bid farewell on the eve of their entrance into mortality in the acclaimed, "Satur-day's Warrior." |