A missing cat. A man in drag. An onstage séance.
Welcome to the funny, absurdist world of Mrs. Smith, the alter ego of actor David Hanbury.
The theater veteran has spent the past year perfecting his Mrs. Smith persona for audiences at Patrick's Cabaret and Dykes Do Drag -- and now he's ready for her closeup. While Mrs. Smith might look like a frumpy old church lady, she's anything but. She sings (Nirvana tunes), she dances (well, sort of) and she plays electric guitar (seriously). All for the sake of finding her "lost cat."
Hanbury is in the midst of a three-week stint at the Bryant-Lake Bowl for a show he's calling "Mrs. Smith's Halloween Spooktacular." It's part cabaret, part mystery and all craziness. It sold out last weekend.
The high-strung Mrs. Smith is often frightened and speaks with a not-quite-British accent (more "high-American," Hanbury says). In her Halloween show, this upper-crust cat lover will oversee a bevy of cabaret-like entertainment, from audience games and dance numbers to the aforementioned séance.
Hanbury, who is putting on the show with his Sisters Boil theater group, said he wants to make people feel more like they're going to see a rock band than a theater company.
To give you a hint at what to expect, I asked Hanbury if I could speak directly with Mrs. Smith. In her over-the-top New England accent, Mrs. Smith provided me with the following answers.
Q Can you talk about why you're hosting this Halloween party? I hear it has something to do with a lost cat.