Breaking News! You don’t have to know a single thing about Bunco to have a blast with this All-Star cast of incredibly talented women in Bunco Squad at Murry’s Dinner Playhouse in Little Rock, running now through September 6. These ladies are simply amazing! Truly, line after line is delivered with such sharp wit and perfect timing that the audience was laughing practically nonstop from start to finish. Don’t miss it! Grab your friends and get your tickets at www.murrysdp.com before the dice stop rolling!
Before we even get into the play, I wanted to know what exactly is Bunco? Honestly, I’m still a little fuzzy on the details, even after quizzing my fellow theater neighbors. I asked if it was like craps, and the ladies in pink shirts with dice on them laughed and said, “No.” Was it like Yahtzee? Another emphatic, “No.” Their best explanation? “You just try to get sixes.” Well, alright then.
Adding to the fun, I discovered there were at least four different Bunco groups scattered throughout the audience, each with their own theories and inside jokes. When I asked the gentleman at my table the same question, he smirked and said, “It’s a women’s game where they get together and bash their husbands.” I pretended to be offended, but by intermission he leaned over with a grin and declared, “See, I was right!” I laughed and had to concede the point. Truly, this was one of the most entertaining and lively audiences I’ve had the joy of spending an evening alongside.
Bunco Squad is a laugh-out-loud comedy about a tight-knit group of women whose Bunco nights are less about rolling dice and more about rolling out hilarious truths. While the game is traditionally played with twelve (a fact gleefully confirmed by Bunco veterans in the audience), this particular squad only has eight players. The evening kicks off with chatter about a neighboring group wanting to merge due to dwindling numbers, a suggestion quickly shot down with a flurry of gossip about the poor woman who dared to propose it. From there, the banter never lets up until the final bows, with no topic off-limits and no friend safe from playful ridicule. Written by Jim Hesselman and directed by Don Bolinger, this fast-paced play celebrates the chaos, cattiness, and undeniable charm of true friendship…