Becky's New Car is a joyride at Kansas City's New Theatre Restaurant

Your evening begins at the New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park, Kansas, with a sublime dinner, to whet your appetite for the road trip yet to come. As always, the menu at this venue is dazzling in its taste and presentation—a summer medley of vegetables, fresh spring asparagus, brown sugar-bourbon carrots, broccoli pasta, baby red potatoes, polenta, BBQ pork, farm-raised catfish, grilled chicken tenders, tender prime beef, and—for the adventurous—cioppino, a rich and spicy tomato seafood stew. Save some room for the special desserts and beverages served during intermission, and don’t forget to savor those delectable cheese breads served with the salad.

Then Becky Foster (played by Seattle actress Kimberly King) walks out onto the stage, and immediately begins drawing you into her life. She is so bubbly, dynamic, and personable as she interacts with the audience (if you’re in the first few rows, be prepared to become part of the show!) that you’re instantly rooting for her. She goes back and forth between her comfortable middle-class home and her office at a car dealership (thanks to a stylish, minimalist set by Jason Coale and the brilliant use of lighting by Randy B. Winder) in a way that lets us know that the evening is going to be a lot of fun.

Becky makes us aware from the get-go that she’s feeling vaguely dissatisfied with her life. Her husband, Joe (ably played by Jim Korinke), a roofer, is rock-solid and dependable in his affection for her, but boringly predictable. Becky tells us, “When a woman says she wants new shoes, what she really wants is a new job. When she says she wants a new house, what she really wants is a new husband. And when she says she wants a new car, what she really wants is a new life.” Becky seems to be feeling middle-aged angst, not exactly unhappy with the way things are, but wondering if she is stuck in a rut.

Enter millionaire Walter Flood, played by Hollywood star John Davidson (still dimpled, dashing, and boyish in his enthusiasm), a widower who comes to Becky’s dealership to buy cars for his employees. He becomes smitten with Becky, and mistakenly thinks that she’s widowed, too. This handsome, wealthy man who thinks nothing of purchasing nine cars at one pop actually gives our twittering heroine “the rush.”

Gosh! What’s a red-blooded woman to do?

Becky’s decision—or, rather, her lack of decision—makes for delicious comedy, as well as some very thoughtful (but never weighed down with platitudes) drama. You’ll find it easy to identify with—and like—all the characters in this charming story, thanks to an impeccable cast with perfect comedic timing, and a very smart, witty script (by Steven Dietz) that will keep you on your toes.

Rounding out the cast are Ashlee Pine (playing Kenni Flood, Walter’s daughter, with a sweet earnestness); Jan Chapman (portraying Ginger, a sardonic “cougar” who’d set her cap for Walter earlier, and is now sniping away with biting wit at the new “upstart”); and Todd Lanker (as Chris Foster, Becky’s 26-year old grad student son, who still hasn’t moved out of the basement, and continually spouts psychobabble at his harried parents).

A special mention must be given to Craig Benton, who plays Steve, Becky’s bumbling colleague at the car dealership, with such ease that it’s as if he’s wearing a second skin. It’s worth going to the show just to see him draw such bittersweet laughs for his melancholy, yet side-splittingly comic portrayal of a grieving widower. Move over, Woody Allen!

All too soon, the ride is over, but oh, what a satisfying journey's end. And you’ll never catch yourself thinking, “Are we there yet?”

THE FINE PRINT
Becky’s New Car runs through June 20 at the New Theatre Restaurant in Overland Park, Kansas. For tickets, call 913-649-SHOW or go to http://www.newtheatre.com/.