(Cover Photo: The CAST of the comedy "DON'T TELL MOTHER" by Monk Ferris now playing at Cannon Theatre in Devens, MA. until April 4, 2026. Photo Courtesy Cannon Theatre)

By Kevin T. Baldwin

METRMAG Reviewer

# 774-242-6724

“Cinnamon, what is the matter with you? You're as nervous as a tightrope-walker with a trick knee!” 

                           - ("Deedee") / Monk Ferris

The Cannon Theatre

Presents Monk Ferris'

"DON'T TELL MOTHER"

Written by Monk Ferris

Directed by Kathleen O'Connor

Produced by Jeremy McMahon

Cast Includes: Elyssa Miller as “Sarah Schmidt,” Lindsey Campbell as “Cinnamon Schmidt,” Tiffany Johnson as “Deedee Malone,” Lee Pallotta as “Joe Shimko,” Ivy Ho as “Magda Berelzheimer,” Jennifer MacLean as “Rikki Tickey,” Brian Francis as “Orville Maddox,” Ben Martin as “Hobart Berelzheimer.”

Additional Creative Team:

Stage Manager - Andrew Harrington; Tech Director, Set Build, Sound Design - Bret Bahe; Set Design, Specialty Painting - Shawn Cannon; Props - Kathleen O'Connor, Bret Bahe, John Betz; Costumes, Hair, Makeup - Shawn Cannon; Set Decoration - Shawn Cannon, Kathleen O'Connor; Lighting Design - Jake Snyder; Light Board Operator - Shannon provost; Sound Board Operators - Bob Amici, Bret Bahe. 

Performances:

March 20, 2026 through April 4, 2026

(Contact Venue for Exact Dates and Times)

THE CANNON THEATRE, 28 Andrews Parkway, Devens, MA. 01434

TICKETS: 

For tickets visit www.thecannontheatre.org

BUY TICKETS

COVID 19 PROTOCOLS

Contact Venue for Most Updated COVID-19 Safety Protocols and Information.

(Warning: The following review contains spoilers)

Bursting into spring, Cannon Theatre springs into full-chaos mode with the madcap comedy "DON'T TELL MOTHER."

There is even an unpredictable vacuum cleaner thrown into the mix to help with some of the “spring cleaning” - more on that later. 

Written by Monk Ferris, "DON'T TELL MOTHER" debuted on stage during 1984 in California. 

Now, 42 years later, under the direction of Kathleen O'Connor, Cannon Theatre has staged a fine show offering solid comedic pacing replete with rapid fire dialogue and physical comedy execution. 

(Photo: Lindsey Campbell as “Cinnamon Schmidt” with Tiffany Johnson as “Deedee Malone” in a scene from of the comedy "DON'T TELL MOTHER" by Monk Ferris now playing at Cannon Theatre in Devens, MA. until April 4, 2026. Photo Courtesy Cannon Theatre)

According to the script, the entire action of the two-act play takes place in an apartment in a Chicago suburb. 

However, the era in which "DON'T TELL MOTHER" takes place is not specified in the script and may seem a little unclear to some in the audience. 

Judging by the items in the apartment and some (not all) of the costumes involved in the Cannon Theatre production, this would tend to depict an era closer to the 1950s or at latest the 1960s. 

One character wears a polyester leisure suit, which seems out of time no matter what in what era the story is supposed to take place. 

There is an in-wall (aka “central”) vacuum cleaner system figuring prominently in the story, and these were most common during the 1950s but pretty much phased out by the 1970s. 

In addition, there is a vintage radio on which one of the characters listens to a soap opera which was also a “thing” long gone with the advent of television.

And yet, any anachronisms are minor and quickly forgiven as one accepts this is a silly story for which one should just sit back, relax, not overthink and enjoy. 

(Photo: The CAST of the comedy "DON'T TELL MOTHER" by Monk Ferris now playing at Cannon Theatre in Devens, MA. until April 4, 2026. Photo Courtesy Cannon Theatre)

The bulk of the play, as constructed by Ferris, follows standard farcical rules with regards to misinformation leading to a multitude of misidentifications and misunderstandings. 

As "DON'T TELL MOTHER" begins, timid spinster librarian Cinnamon Schmidt (Lindsey Campbell) and her mother, Sarah (Elyssa Miller), have made plans to have Cinnamon’s fiancé Hobart Berelzheimer (Ben Martin) and his mother, Magda (Ivy Ho), over for what is intended to be a serene, stress-free family dinner. 

Being a farce of course that isn’t going to happen (otherwise we wouldn’t have a show here). 

Cinnamon arrives home in shock because she has just witnessed a bank robbery and is the only one who can identify the robber. 

Campbell is pleasantly peculiar as the terminally anxious Cinnamon, who confides her terror to chum Deedee Malone (Tiffany Johnson), but does not inform her mother to shield her from the drama. 

Johnson gives an vigorous performance as Deedee, who inadvertently sets the events to come in motion. 

(Photo: Elyssa Miller as “Sarah Schmidt” with Brian Francis as “Orville Maddox” in a scene from of the comedy "DON'T TELL MOTHER" by Monk Ferris now playing at Cannon Theatre in Devens, MA. until April 4, 2026. Photo Courtesy Cannon Theatre)

Federal agent Joe Shimko (Lee Pallotta) enters the apartment, and Deedee assumes he has arrived having gotten a tip that the bank robber, Orville Maddox (Brian Francis), is en route to eliminate the witness. 

However, Shimko is there for a completely unrelated incident, one involving Cinnamon’s mother. Joe thinks Deedee is Cinnamon and that Cinnamon, in turn, is Deedee…all thanks to Deedee trying to protect her friend. In the meanwhile, Cinnamon’s “evasive” mother, Sarah, is confused with the cleaning lady, which Miller as Sarah plays to the comic hilt. 

Pallotta is striking as the show’s increasingly frustrated straight man Shimko, who is put through hell by all the insane lies and subterfuge going on the apartment. 

The spacing for the apartment is a little too unconducive for some of the secretive conversations that take place throughout, but isolated lighting is used which occasionally helps reduce the problem.

Ho offers impeccable comedic timing delivering some of the show's funniest retorts as Hobart’s mother, who arrives just in time to become "intimately acquainted" with the apartments in-wall vacuum cleaner. 

Meanwhile, Martin offers us an amusing allergy-ridden Hobart, who arrives in a leisure suit and flowers in hand, just in time to be arrested by Shimko, thinking he’s the robber Maddox. 

Hobart’s allergies have an interesting impact on Hobart's personality every time he sneezes, as wonderfully enacted by Martin. 

(Photo: The CAST of the comedy "DON'T TELL MOTHER" by Monk Ferris now playing at Cannon Theatre in Devens, MA. until April 4, 2026. Photo Courtesy Cannon Theatre)

Another unexpected guest, Rikki Tickey (cleverly played by Jennifer MacLean), shows up to inform Cinnamon that she was the accomplice to the robbery and that Maddox is right behind her, coming to kill Cinnamon…and also anyone else in the apartment who could possibly identify him.   

Francis, not appearing until the show’s second act, uses his stage time well doing a fine job as the intimidating Orville, who is mistaken for a caterer and for Hobart. 

The show’s second act goes from truly ridiculous to utterly preposterous by its conclusion, but it doesn’t matter because you’ll still find yourself laughing way too hard at the absurdity of it all. 

"DON'T TELL MOTHER" continues from Cannon Theatre in Devens until April 4th, 2026 and is a fun, wacky show, loaded with laughs and has been given top-level treatment, making for an enjoyable night out on the lamb…I mean, out at the theatre.

Coming up in May at Cannon Theatre will be Jane Austen's "EMMA" beginning May 15th through May 30th, 2026.

For tickets visit www.thecannontheatre.org

BUY TICKETS

Approximately two hours with one intermission.

Kevin T. Baldwin is a member of the American Theatre Critics Association (ATCA)

@MetrmagReviews

@Theatre_Critics

ABOUT THE SHOW 

"DON'T TELL MOTHER" is a fast-paced farce centering on Cinnamon Schmidt, a librarian who witnesses a bank robbery just before a high-stakes dinner with her fiancé and his mother. 

Chaos ensues as she tries to hide her terror from her mother, a federal agent confuses identities, a robber is mistaken for a caterer, and a monstrous vacuum cleaner attacks guests. 

The pace is rapid fire, the dialogue hilarious, and the laughter non-stop!

ABOUT THE CANNON THEATRE

THE CANNON THEATRE was founded by Shawn Cannon and Bret Bahe, who shared a dream of creating a community theater – a place for learning, and great plays, a place where people could enjoy the company of others, laugh, and just lose themselves in the joy of artistic expression. Over the years, the theater incorporated, and then became a non-profit organization, managed so that every precious cent made from each production is carefully fed right back into the creation of the next. During the Pandemic of 2020, the theater was forced to close, as their overhead was too high, They began searching for a new space during 2021, and found it in the late summer of 2021.  THE CANNON THEATRE board, which still includes the theater’s very active and passionate founders, invites you to join us and experience this welcoming community, whether as an audience member, an actor, backstage crew, or even director. We guarantee you will leave feeling satisfied!

THE CANNON THEATRE 

28 Andrews Parkway  

Devens, MA. 01434

# 978-448-2108

www.thecannontheatre.org