Review by Ernest Edwards/Ernest Goes To The Theatre
It’s Only A Play is a love letter to the theater. It was delicious, like candy. I found myself wanting more.
The play is written by theater legend Terrance McNally and is directed by Artistic Director Stephen Dimenna at the Park Square Theatre in downtown St. Paul. This comedy is the opening of Park Square’s 2025/2026 season, which is also their 50th season! I was there last night, which was at the same time as the home opener for the MN Wild. Between Park Square Theatre, Grand Casino Arena, The St. Paul Palace Theater, and The Fitzgerald Theater. There was a lot happening in downtown St. Paul last night.
It’s Only A Play takes place during the opening night party of the new play The Golden Egg. The party is at Producer Julia Budder’s townhouse in the upper east side of Manhattan. Everyone is anxiously awaiting for the reviews to start to come out. Especially the review from the NY Times. Will the reviews make the show a success or will it close on opening night? The tensions are high. There’s a lot riding on the line for everyone. For the producer, it’s the first play that she had produced herself. For the lead actress, Virginia Noyes, it’s a comeback vehicle after a failed career in Hollywood. For the playwright, Peter Austin, this is suppose to be his most important play yet. For friend/tv series actor, James Wicker, he’s here to support his friends in NYC. Meanwhile Jame’s successful tv series is about to get cancelled. Director Frank Finger is actually hoping for some bad news. His string of 14 hits in London and on Broadway is getting to be too much pressure. So we wants a flop himself.
This cast is like a who’s who of Twin Cities actors. There’s Jim Lichtscheidl, Daniel Petzold, Emily Gunyou Halas, and Sally Wingert to name a few. For last nights production, the role of playwright Peter Austin normally played by Sasha Andreev was played by Brendan Nelson Finn. This cast has comedic chops. I’m looking forward to see more of Nate Turcotte, as Gus, in future productions.
Park Square did a great job with setting the mood for a play about a Broadway play. The pre show music and the intermission music was songs from Broadway musicals. The program has fun information about the play. There’s a page in the program that references all the famous names that are dropped throughout the play. At the end of the lobby, to the right of the theater entrance, is a nook that has all of the costume designs, scenic designs, photos of the cast, and histories of the play. That was great space. Loved seeing all of that information.
I also have to mention Benjamin Olsen’s scenic design. It gorgeous, spacious, and elegant. The couch added some humor to the play. The couch kind of reminded me of that set of furniture from the movie Auntie Mame. No one knew how to sit on that couch.
There’s only one week left to catch this comedy. The last show is on October 19, 2025. Check out parksquaretheatre.org for more information on tickets.
