Farce: A light, humorous play in which the plot depends on a skillfully exploited situation rather than upon the development of character.
Ray Cooney: British playwright and foremost farceur (practitioner of farce).
Sherrie Colbourn: A director accomplished in the direction of humor.
Patio Playhouse: An Escondido community theater currently staging It Runs in the Family.
Kevin Jones, Wes Jackson, Debbie Britt-Hay, Scott Strand, Vesta Gleissner, Tom Pierpoint, Kelli Harless, Aisa Winkle, Stephen Stetak, Mark Notarian, Patrick McKim and Peggy Schneider: currently performing in Family.
These are the facts. They are true. It Runs in the Family is all a lie, well almost every word. Esteemed Dr. David Mortimore (Kevin Jones), a philanderer, is met in the Doctor's Common Room of St. Andrews Hospital in London by the lovely nurse, Jane Tate (Kelli Harless), with whom he had an affair some 18 years and 9 months earlier. Incidentally, Dr. Mortimore has been married for over twenty years to equally lovely Rosemary (Debbie Britt-Hay). Needless to say, he must keep the two separate. Incidentally, nine months after their tryst, currently spike-haired, leathergarbed Leslie (Stephen Stetak) was born.
The good doctor starts out with a small, almost believable lie, which compounds into an ncredulous series of lies almost incomprehensible in their absurdity. His unwilling accomplice in this sloppy web of deceit is Dr. Hubert Bonney (Scott Strand).
The key to comedy is timing. One important design of farce is timely entrances. This is usually done with many doors on the set. Kevin Jones and Kris Bauer's set has only two entrances and a bathroom plus a window with a ledge. This is all that's needed. The able supporting cast is always at the right place at the perfectly inopportune time. One often worries about opening-night jitters, especially with a comedy. If there were any in this cast, I didn't see them.
Tom Pierpoint, as David's boss Sir Willoughby, is properly pompous and perfectly at the wrong place at just the wrong time.
A British farce is not complete without a police inspector. Mark Notarian delivers just the right amount of frustration trying to solve the unending twisted tales spewed out by Dr. Mortimore. Dr. Mike Connolly (Wes Jackson), an unwitting accomplice, spends much of the play in lovely women's togs.
It is the matron (Vesta Gleissner) who causes many of the problems by being at the right place at the wrong time.
We do not see nearly enough of Aisa Winkle as a wheel chair pushing hospital sister, frustrated beyond any reason by the shuttling of Bill (Patrick McKim). Bill, Pavlovian-like, breaks into song at a particular cue. Peggy Schneider makes a late, secondact entrance as Dr. Bonney's overzealous mom.
Rick Ashcroft's lighting design and David Farlow's sound design complement It Runs in the Family nicely. Set decorators and dressers Kelli Harless and Kris Bauer give the set the right amount of realism. Scenic effects artist Sabato Fiorello performs his accomplished artistry. Georgette Fleuret's costumes work well. Special kudos to Helen McGuiness for instilling proper British accents in the cast.
It Runs in the Family is a perfectly timed farce. It is guaranteed to provide you with an evening of side-splitting laughter. Enjoy; we did!
