Hale's 'No Time for Sergeants' a fun ride

NO TIME FOR SERGEANTS; Hale Center Theater, 225 W. 400 North, Orem; through June 2; (226-8600). Running time: 2 hours with one 15-minute intermission.

OREM — If you're a fan of the Gomer Pyle/Andy Griffith Southern style guileless humor, this play is for you.

"No Time for Sergeants" is totally centered around a farm boy's take on military life and the impact his innocent way of looking at things has on others.

It's funny and quite harmless — even in light of today's unrest with the war in Iraq.

Steve Watts plays Will Stockdale in the Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday cast, and he's very good in the role. He's likable and believable without being sappy. He's also thrilled to be in charge of cleaning the latrines.

It's fun to watch him take his tests to become classified, particularly when he does his session with the base psychiatrist.

Scott M. Healy also does a nice job playing the beleaguered Sgt. King, who is Stockdale's commanding officer. He maintains a nice balance between tough guy and sympathetic to the soldier who wreaks havoc with his orderly life.

Other stand-outs include Joel A. Osborne as Pa Stockdale; Erica Baxter as Rosabelle, the female lieutenant and the cigarette girl; and Mike Gray as the captain and Gen. Bush.

The script for this play is also nice with some great lines.

(When everyone becomes convinced that Stockdale and his co-hort are dead, the action becomes energized and somewhat chaotic, but it's a tolerable stretch.)

There were a couple of dropped lines Saturday and the timing was off during the first few scenes but nothing that some repetition and tightening can't solve.

The costumes were also not up to the usual standard, as the shirts, hats and pants were various shades of khaki that didn't match.

The set was stark, but that appeared to be deliberate with painted warplanes and posters on the walls.

All in all, this show is different and enjoyable.

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E-mail: haddoc@desnews.com