It was a very clever opener for "Life with Father," the longest-running Broadway show of all time, presently running through June 27.

The action of the play brings us to the upscale New York City home of Clarence Day, a prosperous, penny-pinching stockbroker, who rules his family and everyone else within his reach with an authoritarian air and a good dose of bombast.

It opens in the dining room, where a proper table has been set for morning breakfast. Vinnie, the beleaguered wife of Clarence, is instructing the newest maid in her duties. Each of the four sons arrives upon the scene in turn, formally dressed for the event, and respectfully greets and kisses his mother. They await their father's grand entrance, and with father, there is always a hefty touch of drama.

The role of Father is a perfect fit for Ken Smith. Without his ability to project the oxymoronic mix of orneriness, dominance and lovability that form the father's constitution, this play would never fly.

Thanks to Smith's skills, it soars. Karin Cunningham, whom we've enjoyed before in her roles as Lady Bracknell in "The Importance of Being Earnest" and Maggie Jones in "42nd Street," again creates a memorable character as Vinnie, the patient, clever wife of Clarence, and the loving, attentive mother of their four sons. She also runs the house, trying to keep maids from quitting. It takes ingenuity to live with a man like Clarence without turning into an acquiescent doormat.

Others who are especially noteworthy in their roles are Ian Curtis as the eldest son Clarence Jr., who despite his resistance, falls in love for the first time; Jake Konrath as John, the next in line, the son who gets caught up in a get-rich-quick scheme; Matthew Welden as Whitney, who loves baseball more than reciting his catechism; and Josh Webber, who plays Harlan, the loving youngest child.

The conflicts in the family center primarily on finances, maids, the children's antics, Vinnie's relatives and religion. Clarence's iconoclastic tendencies toward organized religion upset Vinnie's expectations, and though she can tolerate his refusing to kneel in church, she cannot abide his having never been baptized.

It is interesting to observe how our culture has changed over the past century, from fashion to family structure and traditions to courtship and behavioral expectations of children.

But some things never change - men and women still struggle to understand each other, children do not always obey the rules and we all figure out ways to get some of what we want.

It is always fun to travel back in time to another era to enjoy the contrast and to increase our understanding of another historical period.