by
Tony Annicone
Little Rhody Entertainment Writer
The latest show at Granite Theatre is
"The Underpants", a farce by Carl Sternheim and adapted
by Steve Martin. The show takes place in Dusseldorf,
Germany in 1910 and begins when the young and beautiful
wife of an uptight bureaucrat drops her bloomers during
a town parade for the king. Louise is a pretty, naive
housewife whose frilly pantaloons accidentally fall
while watching the parade. Suddenly, the room she and
her husband want to rent becomes the most sought after
place in town by men who saw the whole "accident" go
down. A foppish poet and a nebbish barber, both
entranced by a glimpse of her underwear, vie to become
Louise's lover. Her new found fame terrifies her
husband, thrills her busybody neighbor and brings out
another surprise suitor as well as a grumpy old man who
really wants to rent the room. The 7 cast members
deliver their hilarious antics with German accents and
one Italian accent, leaving the audience in stitches all
night long with topnotch acting and direction.
Director David Jepson does double
duty in this show, playing the role of the Italian poet,
Frank Versati. He blocks and directs this fast paced
farce very well, paying attention to every
detail. David also built the two story set decorated in
the early 1900's style with old fashioned ice box and
oven. He wears a dark haired wig and uses an Italian
accent while delivering his funny poetic lines to Louise
as well as prancing about the stage trying to woo her.
His real life Beth is the stage manager for the show and
she also made the many colorful costumes including a
German flag pantaloon. David LaRocque handles the lights
and sound for this farce. Leading lady, Heidi Edsall is
a hoot as the dimwitted gorgeous blond. She uses
different facial expressions while talking to all the
men who want to woo her. Heidi, a beautiful blond in
real life, charms the audience with her coquettishness
and her interactions with her overbearing husband and
hot to trot female neighbor are comical, too. Heidi is
headed to NY to become a professional actress and if
this show is any indication of her talent, she should
have no trouble making it in the Big Apple.
Geoff Leatham is hilarious as the
pompous, chauvinistic husband who hasn't been satisfying
his wife in bed because he doesn't have enough money to
support a child. His bombastic delivery and
pronouncements of how things should be done in a German
household are wonderful. One of the funniest scenes is
when Geoff appears in his long johns to have his way
with a woman. Michelle Messina plays Gertrude, the
upstairs neighbor who wants to live through Louise's
sexual escapades. She makes every one of her comic lines
soar with their sexual innuendoes and smuttiness.
Michelle's German accent adds to the levity of the show
immensely. Keith Brayne is a whirling dervish as the
Jewish barber, Cohen, who says his last name is spelled
with a K not a C. Cohen is a hypochondriac and thinks he
has every illness under the sun. His funniest scene is
after Louise slips him a sleeping potion, he tries to
leave the table with rubbery legs, giving the crowd many
laughs as he climbs the stairs. Harold Ashton plays the
mean old man, Klinglehoff, who demands privacy in his
rented room. Thinking he saw her at the parade, Louise
pulls her dress up to expose her underpants when he
shows his indignation, she quickly covers by telling him
that he is having delusions. Harold handles this gruff
old man with ease. Last but not least is Frank Pendola
who appears as a surprise guest at the end of the show.
He adds to the merriment of the evening, making for an
enjoyable madcap romp. So for a look back at Germany in
1910, be sure to catch this high spirited farce at the
Granite Theatre before time runs out. It's cleverness
and wittiness will please you immensely.
THE UNDERPANTS ( 12 August- 11
September, 2005)
The Granite Theatre, 1 Granite
Street, Westerly, RI
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