AUGUSTA, Mich. – There’s no place quite like the third smallest town in Texas.

Granted, it only exists on stages across the country, fictionalized by the hands of Jaston Williams, Joe Sears and Ed Howard. But since 1981, Tuna, Texas has been entertaining audiences with the two-person show in which a pair of men play more than 20 characters in each of the four plays set in Tuna, Texas.

The third installment, Red, White and Tuna, is closing out the season at the Barn Theatre in Augusta. They’ve brought in guest artists and long-time Barnies Joe Aiello and Scott Burkell to be directed by Barn Artistic Director and owner Brendan Ragotzy.

The opening night audience left little doubt at just how entertained they were by this visit that both satirizes and pays tribute to small-town Texan life. Aiello and Burkell so frequently had to hold for laughter and applause that the play stretched out to three hours long.

The pair deserved the adoration—though sometimes it was Hans Friedrichs’ costume designs that won the laughter—they worked this show for all it was worth and made the most of this actor showcase. Aiello and Burkell played 10 characters each, giving each one distinct voices and physical characteristics. Their over-the-top portrayals contributed to making each one unique and helping the audience to sometimes forget that they were watching only two actors.

As is often the case with the Tuna plays, the most amusing portrayals were when the two men took on the female members of the small, fictional town. Indeed, the play opens with two such portrayals, Aiello as Amber Windchime and Burkell as Star Birdfeather, two New Age hippies coming back to their hometown for the high school reunion taking place on Independence Day. They are everything that Tuna is not, and yet Tuna has clearly created them. It also tips the hat early on that these characters will be anything but “normal.”

The duo of actors played extremely well off each other, whether they were playing mortal enemies or middle-aged lovers. They were comfortable playing together, and it was never hard to believe these were people who’d spent their whole lives in close proximity.

Both actors also had excellent comedic timing knowing just how far to push an exaggerated movement or vocal tic so that it was funny, but not unbelievable.

The Augusta Barn is known for its school, a summer training ground for interns who get to participate in all aspects of theater and perform on stage throughout the summer. While there was no room for them on stage in this two-hander production, they were kept busy backstage and given a bow at the end of the show. They were the dressers and stage help, making sure that Aiello and Burkell could make split-second costume and wig changes so the time in between when they left the stage and when they re-entered could be kept short.

It was a dance that Ragotzy choreographed well. Rarely was the stage black for scene changes, and when it was, there was usually recorded sounds (designed by Michael McShane) covering up the transitions. He found just the right magic to keep the pacing and energy high while still capturing the languorousness of a Texan small town on a 100+ degree day.

Friedrichs created 20-plus costumes that were designed for quick changes and to help easily identify each new character. Whether it was Didi’s plastic dress or Inita’s height-defying up-do hair or Joe Bob Lipsey’s 70s throwback suit, each costume drew upon the personality of the character and helped support the job that Aiello and Burkell had in making them distinct.

The Tuna series remains popular because of both its biting satire and its affectionate nods to Texans. It doesn’t hesitate to expose the bigotry too often immersed in small town life. “Red, White and Tuna” is also a humorous look at the older population. While the youngest generations make brief appearances, this play really looks mostly at those middle-aged and elderly, addressing topics of sex, jealousies, parenting, taking care of the aged, long-term marriages, and starting over again late in life.

These are topics that the Barn Theatre’s production handles aptly and with great hilarity.

Click here for show days, times and details.