Balancing Act Review – The Best-Laid Plans

Penned by Frank Salisbury, BALANCING ACT opens in 2024 at Theatre Forty. Born in Fort Worth, Texas, Salisbury came to Southern California when he was three years old and has written and seen produced six plays; BALANCING ACT is his most recent effort. He has had a long and successful career writing for television and received Emmy awards for “Santa Barbara” and “The Guiding Light.” He has also penned scripts for “Days of Our Lives,” “The Edge of Night,” “Another World,” “Capitol,” and “Somerset.”

Michael Kerr and Tammy Mora – Photo courtesy of Theatre Forty

Accountant Eugene Ormsby (Michael Kerr) has just finished packing for an extended vacation when he is interrupted by an unexpected guest. A clerk from his office (Tammy Mora) stopped by with a quick question about some questionable vouchers which Ormsby submitted over the past couple of years. A mistake? Or a carefully planned and executed embezzlement of company funds? A frantic Ormsby must deflect the lonely and homely clerk from her quest for truth. What better way than the promise of a relationship peppered with some hot sex to turn her head – or at least to keep her quiet? 

Michael Kerr and Tammy Mora – Photo courtesy of Theatre Forty

Director David Datz helms the play with a light touch focused on the comic elements of the situation. For his directing debut at Theatre 40, Datz has fun pinpointing the soft spots in two people who find themselves in a tricky and very sticky duet. Kerr and Mora do an excellent job of portraying the two folks with a relationship-challenged history. At times poignant and at times plain funny, BALANCING ACT walks a tightrope between what we want and what we need. Jeff G. Rack’s set design is yummy and bursting with elegant charm. Nick Foran’s lighting adds to the overall atmosphere of the tale.

To quote Broadway World, “Balancing Act proves to be a night full of zany fun and a much-welcomed flashback to old-fashioned fun.” This is a simple story about two people caught up in a conundrum. The characters feel as if they are trapped in the 1950s, a time when love conquers all (or at least was supposed to). Their old fashioned time machine harks back to a time when gender roles tended to be fixed and seems to be at odds with today’s views about love, sex, and relationships. At the same time, BALANCING ACT is entertaining and amusing. For older audiences, it may trigger reminiscences of times past. For younger audiences, it will probably feel kind of silly but fun.

BALANCING ACT runs through August 25, 2024, with performances at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays through Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. Theatre Forty performs in the Mary Levin Cutler Theatre on the campus of Beverly Hills High School, 241 S. Moreno Drive, Beverly Hills, CA 90212. Tickets are $35. For information and reservations, call 310-364-0535 or go online.