When you hear the name Steve Martin, you surely think of a funny guy — “wild and crazy,” in fact — both as an actor and a comedian. But he’s also a playwright, and you have the opportunity to see one of his most amusing works at The Carnegie where The Underpants is onstage through April 26.
That simple, quaint title reflects the genteel world of Dusseldorf, Germany in 1910. Martin’s 2008 play, crafted in the style of an antique farce (it’s an adaptation of a play from the early 20th century), has a lot to recommend it: It’s cleverly plotted and each character is amusingly conceived, either as a caricature or a someone with more depth as the story unfolds.
Just before the play opens, Louise (Erin Ward) has been watching a parade. As the King passed by, she raised her hands to wave and her loose-fitting underpants dropped to her ankles. She snatched them up, but the wardrobe malfunction was seen by enough people to stir up a minor scandal as well as the prurient interest of a few men in Dusseldorf. Louise’s self-important husband Theo (Randy Bailey), who is a low-level government bureaucrat, is convinced their reputations will be ruined.
But that’s not quite how it plays out. Several men stop by to inquire about a room to rent — Versati (Brian Griffin), a foppish poet; Cohen (Michael Hall), a nervous barber; and Klinglehoff (Tom Manning), an absent-minded gentleman — and at least two of them have ulterior motives, having observed Louise watching the parade. She is intrigued, as is Gertrude (Jodie Schwegmann-Meyn), the nosy upstairs neighbor. Theo, ever self-centered and oblivious to the undercurrent, is interested only in the rental income.
Martin’s writing is full of double-entendre, which kept The Carnegie audience tittering at the Sunday matinee I attended: “How would you like to have your wiener grilled?” Louise saucily asks Theo at one point. And true to any farce, The Underpants is full of seeming comic danger that’s never quite fulfilled.
Staged by veteran local director Drew Fracher, the production felt not quite ready for prime time. The actors were each clever, but often seemed more involved in their individual characterizations than in knitting them together into a satisfying whole. A farce like The Underpants should run like a well-oiled cuckoo clock; the show, which opened on Friday, hasn’t yet achieved that level. Perhaps over the next two weeks it will.
Bailey does a fine job as the pompous Theo, a man who never listens to anyone but himself. Griffin, Hall and Schwegmann-Meyn are amusing in their stereotypical roles. Ward conveys a lovely sweetness as Louise, but her transitions between enthusiasm and distaste felt a bit forced. By the second act, she gets a handle on Louise’s growing confidence, and it’s fun to watch her confidently toy with Manning’s dotty Klinglehoff.
The Underpants is frothy entertainment, much like the waltzes that cover the show’s scene transitions. I just wish the whipped cream had a little more starch.
THE UNDERPANTS , presented by The Carnegie, continues through April 26. Tickets: 859-957-1940.
This article appears in Apr 8-14, 2015.
