The Cumberland County Playhouse introduces a hilarious tale in adjoining motel rooms with many doors, an assassin, rampant confusion, two rookie undercover cops, an embezzling mayor and an accountant who keeps taking off her clothes. The Playhouse presents “Unnecessary Farce.”
Join the Playhouse in welcoming a must-see combination of crime, sex and comedy.
Mustard yellow walls, a plaid duvet that barely covers the thin mattress and a bulky television perfectly encapsulate the 2006 era in the single-set adjoining-door motel rooms. Scenic Designer Tom Tutino did an excellent job transporting the crowd to the early 2000s.
With the adjoining rooms, occasionally, multiple scenes are happening at the same time. Due to the fast-paced nature of the production, audience members might have questions like, Who is video-taping who? Who hired the assassin? Where is the mayor? Why is the mayor’s wife here?
With the opportunity that the Adventure Theater offers, the audience seated closest to the stage is so close to the actors that they can see the passion in the actor’s eyes as they deliver their lines with accuracy. The audience can feel their heart rates rise as the thrill and the mystery unfold wondering what is going to happen next. The intensity leaves the audience at the edge of their seats.
The execution of undercover rookie cop Eric Sheridan, played by Noah Sowalskie, was perfect. His powerful voice carried through the auditorium well. Sowalskie drew the audience in with his innocent behavior. His character development through the production was astounding to watch.
We can’t forget Eric’s faithful, donut-loving partner, Billie Dwyer, played by Mary Humphrey. Humphrey’s eager attitude kept the audience laughing with her grinning ear-to-ear reminders, “I’m a cop!” She shared her passion for crime-fighting, and it stayed with her to the end. Dwyer also experienced a wonderful transformation as a character.
You can’t have an undercover police stakeout without mini donuts. Watch out for flying donuts in all the excitement on stage.
Eric slowly falls in love with the mayor’s new accountant, Karen Brown, played by Abigail Williams. Ms. Brown keeps finding herself undressed in order to save her life from danger while she is trying to help the police capture the embezzling Mayor Meekly, played by Jason Ross, on tape.
Mayor Meekly is probably the funniest character on the set because he walks in at the most inopportune, er, inappropriate times, but that’s what makes it all the more funny.
During the intermission, don’t miss the comical housekeeping maid tidying the motel rooms/resetting the sets for the next act. Watch her closely as she might try to be sneaky on stage and do more than solely clean the rooms.
Each and every costume, designed by Kimberly Stark, helped affirm the 2006-era look and accentuate the characters on stage in their roles. Be on the lookout for the assassin’s outfit; it will knock your socks off.
The music kept the scenes moving and flowed well into the set and mood of the occasion. Aaron Capps dominated the sound design, using creative license to add to the comedy and mystery. The sound effects added extra moments of humor to keep the audience laughing the entire show.
This play was co-directed by Donald Fann and Harli Cooper Graham. Graham recently played in Anastasia: The Musical, starring as Anastasia.
The play by Paul Slade Smith originally ran in Lansing, MI, at the Boarshead Theater from Oct. 25 to Nov. 19, 2006. There have been over 350 productions that have run this show around the world, according to the Unnecessary Farce website.
Due to the extended sickness in the cast the week of Aug. 12, the opening was postponed one week. The opening of Unnecessary Farce started Aug. 22 at 7:30 p.m.
Rated PG-13, Unnecessary Farce will run in production in the Adventure Theater until Oct. 10 at the Cumberland County Playhouse. Call the Playhouse at 931-484-5000 to reserve your tickets or visit them online at ccplayhouse.com.