Greater Tuna

Greater Tuna is the sort of stage play which makes theater worthwhile. Two actors, minimal set, and your imagination work together for a show that is re-watchable forever. All my friends have seen it, and those who didn't receive a copy as a gift hurried to buy their own after borrowing my DVD. Tuna Christmas might even be better, but I recommend both!

I SO wanted to award them 5-stars like all the rest of the reviewers, but the DVD version of this classic play just doesn't meet my expectations.My wife and I absolutely love the Tuna trilogy (Greater Tuna, A Tuna Christmas, and Red, White and Tuna). We first saw Greater Tuna on our honeymoon while in San Francisco fifteen years ago and have seen others perform it several times since. We have seen Joe and Jaston (the originals) perform A Tuna Christmas and Red, White and Tuna twice each. Every time we see any of these three shows, we absolutely laugh our a$$e$ off! The writing is simply sheer genius.I was incredibly psyched to learn that the first two shows had finally been released on DVD and rushed to buy them. I popped one into the player and that was when my heart sank.Don't get me wrong. The play and the performances are absolutely stellar! I am so glad that they got these performances recorded for posterity (the third one, Red White and Tuna, MUST be done as soon as possible before the opportunity is lost)!The one star docking from the perfect five is due to the really shoddy DVD packaging and presentation. There are ZERO extras included on the disc. NOTHING! There isn't even an information insert inside the cover of the DVD. The show itself is just a straight copy of the VHS video recording transfered to DVD. Period. No remixing or remastering; any flaws on the VHS video transfered to the DVD playback. Shame on them. They could have created something for the ages, but no.Still, this is an incredible show and well worth the investment to own. My wife and I will watch these shows over and over now and never tire of them. If they ever do come to their senses and remix and release some "collector's editions" with lots of extras (and they should, by all means!), then we'll probably jump on those as well. We love them that much!

This play is hilarious!

I have loved Greater Tuna since I first saw it in the 1980's. I went to see it every time it played in my city. I am glad to have a permanent souvenir that I can watch any time I want.

My husband & I have had the pleasure of seeing live performances of all 3 "Tuna's"with Joe Sears & Jaston Williams and are thrilled to now have them in our home. These 2 gentleman bring all the eccentric citizens of Tuna, Texas to life with avengeance from Di Di Snavely, the local guns and ammo store owner who's slogan isif we can't kill it it is immortal to Pearl who has a thing against poodles with deadly consequences to Bertha Bumiller,the chairwoman of every committee in townall of which are super conservative bible belt oriented, Inita Goodwin, Helen Bed and most memorably Vera Carp who is the definitive uptight, churchgoing, chain smoking know it all. The actors are amazing.The play is a mix of laugh out loud humor and pathos. The dialogue is hysterical and we find ourselves quoting lines over and over.GREATER TUNA is the original play which was followed by a TUNA CHRISTMAS and A RED WHITE AND BLUE TUNA which has the most hysterical climax of all. Its best to view them in the order they were produced so you can follow some of the story lines that carry over.

Quality was very disappointing. I I have seen them all live a number of times

Posted about the same review on the sequel, " A Tuna Christmas " because it applies for both! If you haven't watched 1- or 2- person plays before, here's how: Get some popcorn, a soda, and NO distractions. At first your brain may not be able to resolve the same men playing several different characters, but after 20 minutes or so they meld together so realistically as individuals, and you can't get enough! Joe Sears and Jaston Williams have Anytown, Texas (or, in their case, Tuna, Texas) nailed down. For you "outsiders" that watch and think the characters are caricatures: Nope...they're real! Every one of us Texans are them, and know them well.

A very funny, and realistic, though fictional, presentation of many aspects of life in a small town. This one is set in Texas, but is characteristic of small town life anywhere in the US. I've seen it on stage several times (as well as other titles by the same duo). Since Sears has retired, these bits of humor are no longer available live (although Williams still does live one-man versions of other small-town phenomena, which are very entertaining), I wanted to share this bit of humor with a recently acquired friend. We both thoroughly enjoyed watching it together. Very cleverly done and very entertaining.