Last night I saw the hilarious musical farce Lucky Stiff at Hale Theatre and I had so much fun! Harry Witherspoon (Preston Taylor) is a mild mannered shoe salesman living in a dreary rented room when he unexpectedly receives a telegram informing him that an unknown uncle named Anthony Hendon (Zac Zumbrunnen) has died and bequeathed him six million dollars. However, to receive his inheritance he must take the corpse of his uncle on a final vacation to Monte Carlo and complete a number of activities detailed on a cassette tape around his neck. If he fails to complete any of these tasks, the six million dollars will go to Anthony's favorite charity, the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn. Once he gets to Monte Carlo with the embalmed body in a wheelchair, Harry meets Anthony's legally blind mistress Rita La Porta (Claire Kenny) who believes that he embezzled the money from her husband and wants to get it back, Rita's optometrist brother Vinnie Di Ruzzio (Kelly DeHaan) who has been blamed for the theft and has a contract out on his life, a representative from the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn named Annabel Glick (Bre Welch) who wants to stop Harry from completing the list so that the dogs will receive the money, and Luigi Gaudi (David Marsden) a mysterious and flashy Italian who seems to be following him. Chaos ensues! What makes this show so funny is not only the situation, which becomes more and more absurd as it goes on, but also the brilliant cast! In addition to the main cast, Bryan Dayley (one of my favorite comedic actors at HCT), Cameron Garner, Ali Bennett, and Beatriz Melo portray a variety of different characters, and every performance is completely over the top with perfect comedic timing. Their physicality and facial expressions had me laughing out loud through the whole show! I especially enjoyed the scene where Harry and Annabel lose the body and run in and out of the various hallways of the hotel looking for it (lots of slamming doors)! All of the musical numbers are a lot of fun but my favorite is "Speaking French" by the nightclub singer Dominique (Beatriz Melo) as she attempts to seduce Harry. The show is set in the 1970s which means that the costumes are absolutely fabulous with bright colors, bold patterns, and lots of polyester! The stage, which reminded me of a game show with all of the flashing lights and multiple levels, includes a rotating panel that turns to reveal various locations with projections and elaborate set pieces. This is the perfect show to see for a fun night out and it runs on the Sorenson Legacy Jewel Box Stage through November 19 (go here for tickets).
Note: Don't forget the new adaptation of The Unsinkable Molly Brown on the Young Living Main Stage through October 18 (go here for tickets).
Terrific review!
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