Review: Brit silliness reigns supreme in 'Run for Your Wife"

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, Jun 25, 2009 | by Joanne Engelhardt

Want to spend a night laughing nonstop at a farcical piece of theatrical fluff? Then "Run for Your Wife," playing at Lucie Stern Theatre through June 28, is definitely your cup of English tea.

This Palo Alto Players production, with veteran Peninsula director Dave Sikula at the helm, is full of sight jokes and innuendoes. It doesn't hurt to have over-the-top, rubber-faced comedians such as Jonathan Ferro and Steve Anthony in the cast as well.

To explain the plot would take, oh, about two days, but suffice to say that it involves a placid London cabdriver (a well-cast Paul Wells) who has lived most happily for many years with two wives in two suburban London homes. The clever set by versatile scenic designer Kuo-Hao Lo is all 1960s purple and pink circles and rectangles signifying the two homes of the rather humdrum-looking John Smith (Wells).

All's well until Smith is mugged, ends up in a hospital and detectives from both of his hometowns show up to investigate. Mayhem and frenetic action ensues with Smith, his two wives, his upstairs neighbors and the detectives all whirling around in a delicious stew of surprises.

It's likely you haven't seen, or even heard of, this play before. Written in 1983 by Ray Cooney, a British playwright and actor, "Run For Your Wife" ran for nine years in London's West End and was its longest-running comedy. Its only Broadway production in 1989 (with Cooney playing John Smith) lasted just 47 performances.

Nevertheless, "Wife" has much to recommend it, especially if you enjoy unpretentious mugging and blatant scene stealing. Ferro, as upstairs neighbor Stanley Gardner, and Anthony, as new neighbor Bobby Franklin, are both spot-on. You'll either crack up at Franklin's portrayal of the stereotypical "flaming gay" or find it offensive. Either way, he definitely commands the stage whenever he waltzes in.

Not to be overlooked is beleaguered "first" wife Mary Smith (Jean Naughton). Although some of her psychedelic dresses pull attention away from her performance, she has a crackup scene that is nothing less than brilliant.

Second wife Barbara (Kate Phillips) gets the short end of the straw because her role is not nearly as well-defined as Naughton's. It's hard to figure out why the uncharismatic cabdriver would have found the nerve to take up with another woman, much less marry her.

As Detective Porterhouse, John Baldwin is convincing in a police sort of way, while the other detective, Mark Rawlins, is cuddly and winsome, especially when he comes out of the kitchen wearing an apron and offers everyone a spot of tea.

English accents are hit-and-miss in this production, but even that doesn't distract from the nonstop histrionics and inane dialogue. Example: Detective Porterhouse asks Stanley, "Do you know what an accessory is?" Stanley: "A handbag?"

The sound was often spotty, especially whenever one wife talks from an offstage room.

All in all, you'll find yourself chuckling if not openly guffawing at the madcap antics onstage. Sikula says in his director's notes that a farce is intended "to make us laugh and forget the real world for a couple of hours." And that's enough, indeed.Theater Review-- WHAT: Palo Alto Players present "Run for Your Wife," by Ray Cooney-- WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Sundays, through June 28-- WHERE: Lucie Stern Theatre, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto-- RUNNING TIME: 2 hours with 15-minute intermission-- TICKETS: $30 ($26 for seniors and students on Thursdays and Sunday matinees) 650-329-0891, www.paplayers.org