Knott’s Berry Farm is the star of the show and the butt of the joke in the new comedy about a bank robbery gone wrong in Calico Ghost Town that gets the audience cheering for the hero, hissing the villain and swooning over the heroine.
The new “Great Bank Robbery” melodrama debuted over the weekend in the Bird Cage Theatre at Knott’s Berry Farm.
The 30-minute stage comedy will play several times a day throughout the Knott’s Boysenberry Festival that runs through April 27 at the Buena Park theme park.
I always love Bird Cage shows at Knott’s because it’s hard to find traditional live stage productions in theme parks anymore and the short shows are a great way to introduce kids to the theater.
Knott’s wisely sends a cast member on stage just before the show begins to goose the audience to holler for the hero, boo the villain and sigh for the heroine.
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The story finds bank robber Bells Colton in Calico to steal 10 pounds of golden nuggets. The robbery puts bank teller Gertie Goodwill in peril and requires assistant bank manager Ernie Evertrue to come to her rescue. Saloon girl Cyprus Bellflower saves the day when she taps into her inner crime-fighting passion and dons a sheriff’s deputy’s badge.
The biggest laughs come from familiar settings around Knott’s playing key roles in the plot — from Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant and Fiesta Village to Timber Mountain Log Ride and the Boysenberry Festival.
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As the plot thickens, there’s a kidnapping, evil hideout, narrow escape, double-double cross and plenty of cheers, boos and laughs from the audience.
In the end, the good citizens of Calico thwart the “Great Bank Robbery” and they are rewarded with a fried chicken feast.