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'Underpants' has ups and downs
(by Herb Hammer - April 14, 2011)
THEATER, BY HERB HAMMER
'Underpants' has ups and downs
If there was any doubt about Steve Martin being "a wild and crazy guy," he proves it once again in his adaptation of "The Underpants," the farcical melodrama now on stage at Beck Center for the Arts.
The play is Mr. Martin's take on Carl Sternheim's 1910 satire of the rising stiff-necked German middle class.
Like it or not, the production belongs as much to director Matthew Earnest as it does to Mr. Martin and Mr. Sternheim. Mr. Earnest sees his characters as outlandish fools who walk and talk as though they come from another planet. He even has some of his foolish charges splashed with pale face makeup.
As the action begins, the key element of the nutty plot has already taken place. While stretching a little to see the king during a parade, Louise's bloomers slipped down to her ankles. Just for a moment, she caused a stir among nearby parade watchers.
Now, when Louise's pompous husband, Theo, hears of the incident, he is aghast. The public humiliation, the possibility of losing his job as a minor government clerk. This and more send Theo into a frenzy.
Suddenly, the room Theo has tried to rent has created interest. Unknown to Theo, two young men who witnessed the dropped undergarment are longing to rent the room, both sure they can woo Louise. They wind up splitting the room in half.
The cleverly contrived plot is only a small part of what makes this combined effort glow. The loony characters and their oddball mannerisms are enough to create laughs. If you thought Steve Martin with an arrow through his head was funny, wait until you get a load of this.
The first of the smitten renters is Versati, a sort of poet-philosopher, certain he can bed the lovely Louise. He's followed by Cohen, a comical Jewish barber in a tight-fitting suit. He introduces himself as Cohen with a "K," fearful of what the others might do. Sternheim was Jewish in anti-Semitic Germany and most assuredly wanted his audience to know how ridiculous this was.
The noisy upstairs neighbor Gertrude is flushed with excitement. She knows exactly what's going on and goes so far as to measure Louise in order to make new lingerie for her.
The characters each have very individual ticks, movements and accents that make them all seem to come from different worlds. You just can't overplay Steve Martin. Catching him on a few old "Saturday Night Live" performances is a strong indication.
What Mr. Earnest has done is to create a whole menagerie of comic creatures. His directing is somewhat of a play within a play. He's aided by an impeccable cast.
Greg Violand, as the gruff and fearful Theo, is his usual perfect self. Theo has been intimate with his wife once on their wedding night one year ago. Now that he has rented the room, he may be ready to make a baby. Mr. Violand's on-again, off-again German accent makes all of this quite funny.
Theo's wife, Louise, is played wonderfully by Katie Nabors. The lovely Miss Nabors plays Louise as a sort of nitwit longing for love.
Not to be outdone are Randy Muchowski, as Versati, and Kevin Charnas, as Cohen. The two would-be Louise lovers play as exact opposites of each other.
Sally Growth, as the upstairs neighbor Gertrude, is a hoot with her melodramatic takes and anxious-to-please goofiness.
The set and costumes by Will Bezek almost steal the show. The two-story structure gives the play a Broadway appearance, and his costumes just add to the humor.
"The Underpants" isn't always funny, and that may be part of its charm. Every gag that fails is simply run over by one that works.
Catch it before it closes on April 23.
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