by dick kerekes dickkerekes@yahoo.com
Orange Park Community Theatre’s second show of the season opened last weekend and will be on stage until November l7th. Whose Wives Are They Anyway? is a farce and OPCT is the king of this type of comedy, having done more farcical plays than any other group in the North Florida area.
OPTC did two of British playwright Michael Parker’s plays, The Sensuous Senator and The Amorous Ambassador. They were so well received that they jumped at the change to do Parker’s Wives.
This is a classic farce that starts with plausible premise and builds to a fever pitch delirium with the world spinning into madness before the calm and seemingly reasonable conclusion. Set at a golf and country club in Connecticut, John Baker (Rick Sheffler) and David McGachen (Dave Quirk) are vice presidents of a recently sold ladies cosmetic company. After they arrive at the club for a weekend of non-stop golf, they discover their new boss D.L. Hutchinson (Trudy Wilbur) is also there. D. L. proclaims “Nobody who goes golfing for the weekend without their wife would ever work for me.” Unfortunately John and David’s wives are shopping in New York. There is nothing for John to do but dress up and pretend to be David’s wife. John also bribes the hotel clerk Tina (Lisa Wilford) to pretend to be his wife for the evening, after paying her off with a carload of cosmetics. Well you may have already guessed it, the real wives, Laura J (Rebecca Pendergraft) and Karly (Ellen Hare) arrive to surprise their husbands, that’s when the bedlam really begins.
Adding to the confusion is the inn manager, Mrs. Carlson (Lisa Johnson), who thinks that there is some wife-swapping going on and even winds up in bed (fully clothed) herself. Fred Gatlin, as Wilson the hypochondriac handyman, rounds out the cast and is very very funny with his attempts at fixing phones, overhearing and misinterpreting conversations.
There are 11 doors on this set, which consists of two hotel rooms with beds, a check in-reception desk and a lounge all on one small stage. Designed and built by the two directors, Rhodie Jackson and Karla Hinton, producer Dave Wells, production manager Barbara Wells and the entire cast, this fabulous set works great!
I have seen many similar farces in my time, but I cannot recall one with so many entrances and exits by the actors. The cast displayed incredible timing and was right on cue with their lines and entrances. Credit some very sharp actors and some fine directing by Ms. Hinton and Ms. Jackson. They have been in shows on this stage, but this is their first joint directing venture. I bet it won’t be their last.
David Quirk and Trudy Wilbur made their main stage debuts and performed remarkably for novices, especially in such demanding roles. Lisa Wilford, as Tina, plays an adorable drunk. Probably the best I have seen in several years. Just a year ago, Lisa Johnson (Mrs. Carlson) was in her first play: First Baptist Ivy Gap. Wow, has she come a long way. Theatre Jacksonville and Players by the Sea old timers may recall Rebecca Pendergraft from years ago. She is back as Laura and deserves an award for the best sobbing woman of the year. Ellen Hare was the demur Mrs. Frakes in State Fair last summer and she is a classy/flashy housewife with revenge on her mind as Karly. I have seen all Rick Sheffler’s performances on local stages and he is a versatile and solid performer. Rick is indescribably funny playing a woman.
The program’s cover has a cartoon illustration provided by playwright Michael Parker, who lives in Florida and who apparently corresponds with all the groups who do his plays. The program, once again, acknowledges the theatre’s gratitude for the generosity of The Tom Nehl Fund of the Community Foundation.
If you want to forget your cares, and just be entertained, check out Whose Wives Are They Anyway?. The language is clean but some of the double entendres may have you scratching your head while you laugh.
Call 276-2599 for reservations or visit their website at opct.org where you can order tickets.
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