JLT's 75th season to end humorously
May 27, 2015


Take a peek at the heart attack scene in the Joplin Little Theatre's production of Bertha the Beautiful Typewriter Girl. Playing the scene are (L-R): Daniel Desporo Desmond (Roscoe Miller), Glenwood Garfield (John Early), Boswell Bancroft (Wally Bloss), and Bridget O'Casey (Kyle Jacobs).

Director Jim Lile sat in the almost empty theater taking notes during the final dress rehearsal for the Joplin Little Theatre production of a play that has special significance. Bertha, the Beautiful typewriter Girl was JLt's very first production performed in 1939 at the Royal Heights Playhouse, a former north Florida Street movie house, interestingly to which theatregoers brought their own seating, and now it ends their 75th season. Lile was laughing in unison with an assistant seated next to him--with justification as the characters displayed facial expressions and gestures benefitting this humorous "meller-drammer."

Celebrating
the end
to the 75th
season

At left, Beautiful Bertha holds her own while in conversation with Clarisse, an adventuress who thought she would gain the hand of the rich banker's son in marriage. In cohoots with the father Clarisse thinks she has an unbeatable advantage. At right, the juxtaposition of father and son in age makes for a hilarious introduction. David Desmond stands firm in his insistance that nothing his father, Daniel can say or do, while grasping his shoulders, will convince him to marry Clarisse whom he does not love.

Will good finally win over evil by the end of this four act play? Daniel Desboro Desmond (Roscoe Miller), president of the National Farmers' and Merchants' Loan, Mercantile Trust and Exchange Bank, covers up a life of embezzlement by becoming guardian of diamonds his trusting friend Boswell Bankcroft (Wally Bloss) has unwittingly brought him for safekeeping. But, oh no, Boswell has a fatal heart attack. Enter employee Glenwood Garfield (John Early) who knows too much and must become part of the scheme to defraud and even commit murder. We also are introduced to a manly but yet big busted person known to us as Bridget O'Casey (Kyle Jacobs) who purportedly is there to guard the money she has on deposit, but we know there's even more to her than meets the eye.

The play's namesake sits at her typewriter maintaining her star of the show innocence.

Of course, we can't overlook Bertha (Ashley Trotnic), the sweet Bancroft daughter who has sought a position at the bank because in her father's absence amassing diamonds in Africa she nd her mother (Leecia Bloss) have become destitute. Bertha becomes the love interest of practically everybody (remember she's "beautiful") but especially the Desmond son, David (Tony Flint) whose role it is to save her from all harm and naturally there's plenty coming her way. Other characters include Clarice Claybourne (Karen Eckhardt) who's vying for the son's heart and money and Sally Silverthorne the bank stenographer and her boyfriend and office boy "Skeets Skiller (Skylar Walton), albeit whose roles are somewhat subordinate but still there to thicken the plot.

The minimal set does not distract from the commanding attention of the characters who often share their little secrets with the audience. Every prop has significance: the typewriter, paper documents, top hat, sewing basket and weaponry. And good there was a chair available when David Desoro Desmond realized that he had to set down the fainted Bertha in order to have hands to open a door. Good ad libbing if that wasn't in the script.

Bertha the Beautiful Typewriter Girl will be performed from Wednesday, May 26 until Sunday, May 31, 2015. Curtain is 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday through Saturday with a matineee on Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are available here. The Joplin Little Theatre is located at 3009 W. First St., Joplin (west of Schifferdecker Road).

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