Theater Review of “Lucky Stiff” - Things Keep Getting Curiouser and Curiouser

 

Somewhere in the middle of “Lucky Stiff,” the madcap, musical farce now playing at South Park Theater, the question arose in my mind as to just what the minimum number of doors might be needed to pull of this particular type of comic drama.

Thank goodness for Google, because, when I got home, a quick search gave me the answer. According to AI Overview “while some stage directors suggest it is impossible to stage a theatrical farce without at least three doors to facilitate frantic entrances and exits, there is technically no rigid minimum. Certain farces operate entirely without doors, instead using windows, balconies, or offstage pathways to generate the same comedic chaos.”

“However,” it goes on to say that “the genre (often affectionately called a "door farce") relies heavily on physical timing, split-second near-misses, and slamming doors to build narrative tension. Because of this, more doors generally equal more physical comedy.

For South Park’s production, set designer, April Beiswenger, does quite well with four. They’re well-built, sturdy (no shaking walls or paintings falling off the wall here) with hidden pieces that roll out when needed to futher suggest a particular scene.

Scene now set, let’s go and enter a zany world that kicks off with the entire company of 12 singing gleefully “Something Funny’s Going On,” And they’re not lying or exaggerating.

How’s this for a plot? A bored shoe salesman, Harry Witherspoon (Ryan Hadbavny) who feels unfulfilled receives word that his wealthy uncle (who he’s never met) has just died. At the reading of the dead man’s will we learn that Harry, as his heir, is about to come into a financial windfall of $6 million. There is one catch, and here’s where things get really crazy. He has to take his deceased and embalmed uncle on the vacation he’s always wanted to Monte Carlo on the French Riviera, all expenses paid.

If that wasn’t strange enough, he had to take his uncle on outings and adventures like parasailing and snorkeling in the Mediterranean. At the same time, he had to make sure that miniscule details about their hotel had to be verified, down to a bottle of Dom Perignon in the ice bucket and pink silk sheets on the bed.

Failure to satisfy any of these requirements would forfeit his inheritance, which would then go to the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn.  

Someone with a vested interest in making sure he carries out his stipulations is, Annabel Glick (Riley Tate), the representative for the dog home. Other tracking him include the dead man’s lover, Rita La Porta (Krista Strosnider) and her brother, (Vincent DiRuzzio), looking into cashing in on the inheritance as well.

If that wasn’t enough to get doors opening and slamming shut, Harry has to contend with assertive Luigi Gaudi (Sean Michael Barrett), a man he meets on the train to the South of France who obsessively tries to intrude himself into Harry’s every move.

If this central core of characters wasn’t enough to corral through a series of wacky antics, silly episodes and over-the-top fun, director Cameron Nickel has five other actors grouped together as an “ensemble” which adds even more to the farcical mix. Note, many of these supernumeraries play multiple roles, which require separate costume changes, an issue that costume designer, Rob Hockenberry, must have found challenging.

I also feel compelled to mention that a live actor (Sean Nangle) plays the wheelchair-bound dead man, required to remain still and motionless throughout the play except for the times his nephew raises his arm or nods his head to convince the other characters he’s alive.

Initially, I thought I, myself, might have played this role until I thought of the danger of me sneezing or twitching due to my persnickety allergies and restless leg syndrome. Nangle’s is a hard role to carry off and he managed it without a burp or tic. Note: He does get to dance along with others in the macabre dream sequence Harry experiences one evening.

As Harry, Hadbavny has a certain charm despite the set of unreasonable demand thrown his way. He handles the pressure of being harassed by a number of antagonists reasonably well and still has time to nurture a budding romance.

As Annabel, Tate is strictly all-business until her personal attraction to Harry kicks in. Strosnider as the dead man’s paramour is casually ruthless, and hilariously so, while her stressed out and easily manipulated brother, Vincent (Travis Miller) is formidable as a comic standout.

Brash and boisterous as the forceful Luigi, Barrett gets the role that takes the musical on a new and unexpected direction.

Adrien-Sophia Curry, Jenny Louise Deigan, Dylan Lawton, Jeremy Poynton and Joel Ambrose flesh out the ensemble of characters. Especially entertaining were Ambrose’s clever humorous flourishes which never ceased to amuse in character after character in scene after scene.

Based on the novel "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo" by Michael Butterworth, the book and music is by the successful writing team, Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Ragtime, Anastasia, Once on This Island).

Songs to look out for include “Good To Be Alive,” which gets a second act reprise by the company, “Lucky” (Harry), “Dogs vs. You” (Harry and Annabel), “Nice” (Annabel and Harry)., all of which are accompanied by Kirk Howe on piano and Paul Baronak on percussion.

Remember the old saw that when one door closes another door opens? It seems to be the perfect adage for this jovial, hard-working cast whose resilience manifests itself through this strenuous 2-1/2-week long production that closes on July 5.

Lucky Stiff is at South Park Theatre, corner of Brownsville Road and, Corrigan Dr, South Park Township. For tickets and more information, phone (412) 831-8552.