Fox on the Fairway at Tacoma Little Theatre

Teed off

by Michael Dresdner

    L to R: Russell, Fry, Bolek, Ferguson, McClure, Torwick      photo by DK Photography

Farce, as its etymology suggests, is forced; over-the-top characters in similarly exaggerated situations. Fox on the Fairway, now at Tacoma Little Theatre, is unabashedly billed as such, and true to form, absurdity clings to both the plot and characters.

Playwright Ken Ludwig has written a lot of farces, but this time he left no cliché unturned, rehashing all of the elements that, when taken in moderation, provided welcome chuckles in his other plays. The convoluted plot is heavily larded with low-brow sexual humor, unlikely mood swings, and ridiculous clothing, all peppered liberally with excess shouting and frenetic physicality. Add a laugh track and you might be watching one of those lamentable yet inexplicably popular 80’s TV sitcoms like Three’s Company.   

All the action takes place in bar at a golf country club. Rival golf club presidents Henry Bingham (Andrew Fry) and Dickie Bell (George McClure) make an excessive bet on the upcoming yearly match, each believing he has an ace in the hole. Bell’s brashness extends to his outlandish clothing, consistently misquoted phrases, and a penchant for fornication, and he goads the more upright Bingham in more ways than one.

Meanwhile, new employee and secret golf whiz kid Justin Hicks (Rodman Bolek) is in love with club factotem Louise Heindbedder (Tracy Torwick). When he’s pressed into playing the tournament, he shines, until he is emotionally derailed by a glitch in their engagement. Adding to the tumult is libidinous club VP Pamela Peabody (Stacia Russell), who has a schwarm for Henry Bingham, and Henry’s wife Muriel (Shelleigh-Mairi Ferguson) who conveniently feels the same way about Dickie Bell. After a few surprises, a lot of sturm und drang, and an excess of hideous golf outfits, everyone ends up, as is often the case in Ludwig plays, happy and heterosexually paired off.

The set by Burton K Yuen and scenic artist James Venturini, with stage dressing and props  by Jeffery Weaver, was elegantly spot on; beautiful and convincing. Intentionally outre outfits by costumer Michele Graves were both eye-catching and thoroughly appropriate. The same can be said for lighting (Pavlina Morris) and sound design (Darren Hembd.)

Say what you will about this genre and style but the audience on opening night spent an appropriate amount of time laughing it up. I suppose that’s a recommendation all by itself.

Fox on the Fairway

April 17 to May 3, 2015

Tacoma Little Theatre

http://www.tacomalittletheatre.com/

The 39 Steps at Lakewood Playhouse

Thank you, Mr. Bones

by Michael Dresdner

    Bryan Bender, Deya Ozburn                                               All photos by Kate Paterno-Lick 

You can accurately describe The 39 Steps, currently at Lakewood Playhouse, in just two words: madcap romp. I’ve reviewed iterations of it over the years in three different theaters and this one, directed by John Munn, is by far the best.

Steps is loosely based on Hitchcock’s famous 1935 “chase” thriller of the same name, but is given the extreme comic treatment a la Shakespeare Abridged. In other words, the plot – a man is roped into being both fox and hounds while trying to prevent a secret formula from getting out of the country – is almost completely irrelevant. It is nothing more than a platform on which to haul out and deliver every comic tableau you can imagine.

   L to R: Deya Ozburn, Bryan Bender, Frank Roberts, Paul Richter 

Along the way there are homages to Hitchcock in words, music, and images that are far too numerous to mention. You’ll probably pick up on Vertigo, Psycho, Strangers on a Train, Rear Window (as a curiously portable prop) and North by Northwest (as a shadow puppet show,) but that barely scratches the surface. Chances are you won’t catch them all, which may be a damned good excuse to see this play more than once.

Though versions vary, this one had a decidedly vaudevillian flavor, and Munn has resurrected almost every piece of comic shtick that’s ever graced the old time stage. Thus, it requires a flawless comic cast supported by innumerable (and excellent) costumes (Diane Runkel), clever props and set pieces (Virginia Yanoff and Lex Gernon), lighting (Kristin Zetterstrom) and sound tricks (Nena Curley.) Even the booth gets into the act with gags like intentional sound cue screw-ups, so here’s a tip of the hat to stage manager Jenifer King.

    L to R: Frank Roberts, Paul Richter 

Mostly, though, a property like this requires an ideal cast, and this one has it in spades. The leading man, and the only actor who plays only one role, must first be as charming a heartthrob as Mad Men’s Jon Hamm, and Bryan Bender, who plays hero Richard Hannay, is just that. From the moment he steps out on stage and flashes a winning grin you can almost see that cartoon trick of a flashing glint of light off his teeth. That’s not all, though. He also brings flawless timing,the athleticism for very physical comedy, and a finely tuned annoyance when things (intentionally) go wrong on stage. Thus his perfectly nuanced glances at the booth when phones keep ringing after being picked up or lights that refuse to turn off and on, and his impatience when he tires of the slow-motion staging of an elaborate fight scene well before his fellow actors. In short, he’s the perfect Hannay.

His three primary female counterparts are played by Deya Ozburn, who morphs from exaggerated Germanic vamp Annabella Schmidt, through sweet but back-stabbing Pamela, to unsophisticated but helpful Margaret. As with all the roles, there are tons of physical demands along with the comedic ones, and Ozburn can keep up with the rest of this talented cast just fine, thank you very much.

L to R: Bryan Bender, Frank Roberts, Deya Ozburn 

Anchoring all the other 100-odd parts are the two rubber-faced, loose-jointed clowns, who switch personas, voices, costumes, and even genders faster than a nymphomaniac can drop her dress. Frank Roberts and Paul Richter do the honors here, and they are superb, creating wildly different and hilariously bizarre characters in the blink of an eye, flashing both tirelessly and seamlessly from one to another. These four make up the entire cast, and believe me, they make this show.

It’s spring, the sun is out today, and this is the perfect accompaniment to the mood. The 39 Steps is as pure a night of goofy, easy-to-swallow fun as one can divine. As the song says, pack up all your cares and woes and let these four delightful comics treat you to a couple of hours of mindless, non-stop hilarity.

The 39 Steps

April 17 through May 10, 2015

Lakewood Playhouse

http://www.lakewoodplayhouse.org/