What do kilts, cuffs, conmen, and crullers have in common? A gut-busting night of crime solving, of course! Unnecessary Farce is currently leaping, tripping, and tumbling at Lake Country Playhouse, through June 3rd.
Unnecessary Farce follows bumbling cops Eric Sheridan (Matthew Scales) and Billie Dwyer (Breanne Brennan) as they, with the help of Karen Brown (Emerald Klauer), embark on their first solo case: getting a confession and arrest of Mayor Meekly for his embezzlement. As the plot ravels around the eight doors onstage, the trio uncovers a much larger operation. And, yes, the Scottish Clan are involved.
Scales, Brennan, and Klauer are stooges of their own right onstage. Physical comedy, from flirting to flipping, is key to the story, and these three execute flawlessly. With Billie being the awkward third party to Eric and Karen's not-so-subtle love affair, Brennan plays innocence and naïveté brilliantly against a very bashful - and very undressed - Scales and Klauer.
Paul Weir is a compelling Agent Frank with his vivid descriptions of horrors beyond your imagination. His introductions thoroughly prepare audiences for the incomprehensibly Scottish Todd, played by Terry Haller. Often shut out from the rooms are the Mayor and his wife, but as the play reaches the peak of its' insanity, Jim Baker and Jen Anderson's performances are pivotal to the plot.
Director Mike Crowley handles this wild script at a breakneck pace, leaving audiences rolling from one bout of laughter straight into the next. Audiences feel placed directly into the conjoined motel rooms, thanks to Ron Ehrlich's scenic design, and the eight doors are a surprising win for the performance, in spite of LCP's intimate, 82-seat theatre.
Unnecessary Farce isn't an introspective piece of theatre, or a tear jerker. It's pure comedy, and comedy gold, at that. This dynamic cast of seven, under Crowley's direction, is sure to crack you up as they crack down on criminal activity. Get a taste of these bagpipes before it's too late.