No Small Wonder: Alisha Gellin Gets Big Laughs

Alisha Gellin as Tina

While her previous roles with the Farmington Players have been smaller parts (Frenchy in Sweet Charity and Delores in Gypsy) that might have escaped your notice, you won’t be able to miss the diminutive Alisha Gellin in Whose Wives Are They Anyway?    Alisha plays Tina, the receptionist at the Oakfield Golf and Country Club, who gets talked into playing “Mrs. Baker.”  Despite her initial reluctance, Tina has an easy time embracing her role and a hard time keeping her clothes on!

Alisha describes Tina as follows:  “She is a sweet girl but has backbone. She will only let things go as far as she feels comfortable with…. At the end of the day she’s just a nice girl trying to do the best she can …. Basically she’s just trying to help these two guys out and trying to make it through one uncomfortable situation after another.”  Alisha has a lot in common with Tina: “We are the same age, heck, we even have the same occupation even though she works in hospitality and I’m in medical.”  Despite these similarities with Tina, Alisha thinks “This makes it hard to play sometimes. Personally I find it’s much easier to play your opposite than someone similar to you.”  And though she holds a theatre degree from Eastern Michigan, Alisha feels that “Comedy is hard. It’s much harder to play than drama is. It’s all about timing and playing off each other and doing just enough but not too much…. Finding a balance can be difficult because sometimes playing it as seriously as you can makes it ten times funnier than playing up any type of shtick.”

Like Tina, Alisha is playful and a good sport at rehearsal, and her positive energy rubs off on everyone around her:  “Theatre brings a joy to my life that nothing else seems to compare. Being in this play has helped bring happiness and laughter back into my life. I can thank my fellow cast members for that!”

Whose Wives Are They Anyway? opens Friday February 17 and runs through Saturday March 3.  For tickets, go to www.farmingtonplayers.org or call the box office at 248-553-2955. Find us on Facebook under "Farmington Players".