THE PLAY: A wife/husband acting team is down on their luck with their small touring company. Things get frantic when they find out that a famous film director is coming to see their show.

 

THE PRODUCTION: This is a farce in the classic sense: mistaken identities, slamming doors, broad physical comedy. There’s a fine line between over-the-top expression and meticulous style. Although director Lauren Whitley managed to keep the pacing crisp, the precise staging that makes a play like this work is replaced by clumsy business and awkward blocking (the only exception is Aza Raine, who hilariously nails it). In general, the supporting actors fared better than the leads in their effective comic delivery. Nonetheless, the opening night audience often roared with laughter, especially during the second act. The set was serviceable, but there was no hint of ’50s period in the costumes. Historical note: Variety magazine was always a tabloid format, never a broadsheet.

 

THE POINT: While the pacing was lively and the cast is having fun, the crisp style of farce was largely replaced by a clumsy staging.

 

(2.5 / 5)

 

At CAT Theatre thru 4/2