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HARTLAND -
Golf is a way of life for many folks, so this gentle satire on
some of the stereotypes of this sport - the crazy outfits, the
cutthroat competition, the awesome reverence often awarded a
tournament, the shenanigans at the 19th hole - these are some
of the characteristics Ken Ludwig addresses in his campy
farce, “The Fox on the Fairway,” presently producing
merriment at Lake Country Playhouse in Hartland.
Ludwig is
a prolific writer and this is his latest of many popular
comedies, which include “Lend Me a Tenor,” “I Hate
Hamlet,” Moon over Buffalo” and “Leading Ladies.” He
also wrote the book for the musical
“Crazy for You.” He’s a very talented playwright
with many awards that attest to it.
“The Fox
on the Fairway” takes place in the tap room at the Quail
Valley Country Club, where an annual tournament with the
Crouching Squirrels is about to take place. Quail Valley has
lost in the last four challenges, and if they lose again,
Henry Bingham will be out of his job as manager, so he is
elated to have secured a prestigious golfer only to discover
at the last minute that his great find has switched his
talents to the Crouching Squirrels team.
Before learning the sad fact, Bingham has made a hefty
bet with Dickie Bell, his gloating competitor. It’s a bet
that includes Bingham’s wife’s antique store if he loses.
Without a star on his team, he is understandably in a panic.
A young
couple works for Bingham - a bimbo waitress called Louise
Heindbedder and her boyfriend, Justin Hicks, who ends up being
a really proficient golfer and fills in for the traitor who
jumped ship.
Both
Louise and Justin’s easily rattled personalities and the
antics their volatility inspires provide much of the humor in
this play. Betsy Bromley and Dustin Nolan rise to the
challenge. Both are excellent.
Another
character who is quite intriguing is Pamela Peabody, a sexy
lady who specializes in overindulgence in marriage, alcohol
and flirting with Bingham, who is married to Muriel, the
brusque, shrewish antique dealer, well rendered by Becca
Richards.
Sharon
Jahneke aces her vampish role. Her caustic sense of humor
balances with the ditziness of the more farcical comedy which
abounds here. Jahneke has a way of completely inhabiting a
role. She is fun to watch.
Vern
Theime and his crew have managed somehow to create a fairly
complex set that accommodates inside and outside views of the
country club and provides the many doors required for a lot of
chases in typical farce mode, quite an accomplishment with the
small space he has to work with.
The
costumes chosen and created by director Becky Shilling and her
cast are wild and keep with the tone of the comedy. There’s
nothing subtle here.
Jeff
Davis’ fashion statements as Bell and Jahneke’s outfits as
Peabody definitely take the prize for outrageous.
Both James
Baker (Bingham) and Jeff Davis (Bell) could crank it up a
notch in their roles to keep up with the other four
exaggerated caricatures, but overall the cast pulled it off
with energy and good timing.
Shilling
is a talented director, which she again proved in this
production that will provide you with some laughs in the midst
of a rather challenging winter.
“The Fox
on the Fairway” runs for two more weekends through Feb. 24
at the Lake Country Playhouse, 221 E. Capitol Drive, Hartland.
For show times and tickets, call 262-367-4697 or visit
www.lakecountryplayhouse.net.
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