Long Islanders Lost in La La Land

Area theater goers recently escaped the real world and entered "La La Land," courtesy of Massapequa playwright and comedian Millie Micheals.

The show, which played the Bellmore Brokerage Comedy Club, " was composed of five vignettes: the darkly comedic "Inappropriately Yours;" "Mix Match," which poked fun at blind dates;"The Free Range Family," an uproarious take on domestic life;"The Wedding Stalker," about the foibles of looking for Mr. Right and "Weighty Watchers," Micheals' take on battling bulge.

The production was months in the making and Micheals held auditions at the Massapequa Public Library

"They've been very dedicated and very anxious for the performance," she said of her cast. Judging from the audience reaction, the show was well worth the wait.

The crowd couldn't get over self absorbed Natalie disregarding her husband's death in "Inappropriately Yours." They were charmed by Joanna and Henrietta in "Mix Match" as they waited for their blind dates. By the third sketch, "The Free Range Family," the laughter was loud and frequent.

The vignette follows a young, panic-stricken Italian couple, Filomena and Frances, who do not exactly know how to carry on their relationship after discovering they were related. A nice dinner with Frances' "mama" and "papa" complete with three dishes was intended to go smoothly, until mama (played by Micheals) discovered a familiar family birthmark on Filomena.

With the characters' thick Italian accents, quick-witted remarks and unfortunate situation, the audience could not contain themselves.

"I think the characters are wonderful. I didn't realize how much hard work is involved," said Roxanne Parrella whose daughter Laura  played Filomena. Laura is no stranger to the stage, having performed with Micheals in 2006.

The last two sketches were also crowd pleasers.

A young woman searched for love while flirting with a bartender in "The Wedding Stalker" and a group of people, including a distressed daughter-in-law and cowboy, tried to find their perfect size in "Weighty Watchers." All characters were extremely lively and fit the "La La Land" bill perfectly.

"It was a lot of fun," Stacey Terrana said of her flirty, cheery character in "The Wedding Stalker."  
"She  was crazy so anything goes. She likes music and singing so I got to bring that out."

The show was a success and attracted a full house.

"It's exciting for me," Micheals said. "It's great to see my work come to life."

Micheals did more than simply entertain. The proceeds from "La La Land" are being donated to Long Island Cares/Pack It Up For Kids," a program to help alleviate child hunger."

Spending a crazy night in "La La Land" proved to be time well spent.