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Get to know the friendly staff at the Flick Store in Lakeside Community's Theatre's production of 'No Late Fees'
By Penny Rathbun, prathbun@acnpapers.com
Put your cell phones and cerebellums on off when you go to see Lakeside Community Theatre's latest production, "No Late Fees."
The play won LCT's playwrighting contest for the 2011-2012 season. It is set in the Flick Store: Home of No Late Fees. The co-authors are the director and star of the show, Aaron Schultz and Benjamin Keegan Arnold.
That fact was a bit dismaying. The program warns the show is for "mature audiences only." I wasn't sure I was "mature" enough for two hours of young adult male adolescent humor in a script that wasn't such an original idea.
One of Smith's jobs before he became a movie director and producer was a clerk in a video store. He developed the idea for "Clerks" while working at that job. Did Schultz and Arnold see the same interview with Smith I saw?
Then I remembered "Clerks" gave the world Jay and Silent Bob, two characters later so memorable in "Dogma". Those two characters are played by Smith and one of his buddies. Suddenly I figured there was a glimmer of hope.
Yes there is frequent use of the F word and many other words that are unacceptable in polite, North Texas culture. And yes, it does get tedious. And yes I was feeling ever so intellectually superior because I found the show so annoying.
But then I realized half way through the first act that I was laughing and laughing frequently, right along with the rest of the audience.
Arnold plays Zak, a clerk at the Flick Store. He's got that lovable, boyish charm that LCT patrons are familiar with. Arnold has been involved in shows at LCT for years. His portrayal of Zak relies on his boyfriend type cuteness. That and his general dorkiness get him through this part.
Often I wanted nothing so much as for his co-worker Sara, played by Kari Schouveller, to just deck him for the fun of it.
She gets her own back though. Schouveller can take a plain line like "Stop acting like a kitty cat." (not a literal translation of the line) and have people screaming with laughter. She keeps doing that through the whole show. She also makes Sara a very sympathetic character, a young woman afraid to leave the store to strike out into the world. How many of those are there in North Texas?
Paul Niles plays Ollie, the store manager. He seems to be a typical, know-nothing boss who keeps adult reading material around for his restroom breaks. Yes, the show has an "ew" factor. But it is possible to get beyond that. Niles' comic performance helps.
In struts Tammy played by Octavia Y. Thomas. Tammy is the person Ollie hires for the job of assistant manager instead of promoting Sara who has already been doing the job for over a year.
Tammy is another character common in North Texas. Margarine wouldn't melt in her mouth and she is much too virtuous to swear. Thomas gives the audience much comic value in her portrayal of the new hire. She's irritating, but still very likable.
Cody Schultz and Kristy Dean portray the various customers that rent movies at the Flick Store. They make the most of all their characters and Cody Schultz ups the "ew" factor considerably with sheer creepiness alone.
Shane Morgan provides a few laughs as Mr. Walters, a Blockbuster employee.
When a character does something completely unexpected, but logical within the play, the script at last makes you sit up and take notice. Watching to see how various situations are going to be worked out becomes much more interesting.
Zak and Sara have a habit of acting out their fantasies of performing in a rock band after the store closes. Sara is a virtuoso on air drums and Zak has no equal on the broom guitar. They are aided in these efforts by the excellent production crew and Eric Fisher's lighting design.
Various Arnolds and Schultzes are also responsible for the set design. It makes it easy to believe you are sitting in a video store and not a theatre. LCT has new, plush, red seats that make suspension of disbelieve difficult in that regard, but the new seats are very comfortable.
Arnold and Schultz are to be commended for branching out into playwriting, for not being afraid to "leave the video store." Kevin Smith launched himself from obscurity into a successful Hollywood career when he left the video store.
So boys, are you working on a sequel?
"No Late Fees" plays through March 3 at the Lakeside Community Theatre. Call 214-801-4869 or visit www.lctthecolony.org for reservations.
NoLatFee1
Penny Rathbun/Staff photo
Benjamin Keegan Arnold as Zak, left, rents a DVD to Cody Schultz as The Creeper, in Lakeside Community Theatre's production of "No Late Fees" by local playwrights Arnold and Aaron Schultz. The comedy runs through March 3.
NoLatFee2
Penny Rathbun/Staff photo
Kristy Dean as a Flick Store customer gives her opinion on the latest movie she has rented to store manager Tammy, left, played by Octavia Y. Thomas in "No Late Fees", Lakeside Community Theatre's latest production. The show contains strong language and is for mature audiences. Call 214-801-4869 for reservations.
NoLatFee3
Penny Rathbun/Staff photo
Sara, played by Kari Schouveller and Ollie, played by Paul Niles discuss the problems of running a store in "No Late Fees", Lakeside Community Theatre's latest offering. For reservations to see the new comedy and enjoy the theatre's new seats visit www.lctthecolony.org.
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