Theater Review—

‘Ambassador’ Opens Town Players Season With Humor

By Julie Stern

It’s May again, and that means that the six doors opening onto the stage at Newtown’s Little Theater are back in action, as the Town Players open their 2005 season with another British farce under the guiding hand of Evelyne Thomas.

Judging by the reactions of last weekend’s audience, this one is quite enjoyable, bolstered by lots of slapstick that would warm the hearts of Farrelly brothers’ fans, and some strong performances by a very competent cast.

The plot The Amorous Ambassador, the selection opening the Players’ 70th anniversary season, revolves around the American ambassador to England and his wife and daughter, newly installed in their country home outside of London. Each of this trio has announced independent plans for spending the weekend out of town, but each of them has secret intentions of sneaking back to the estate for a romantic tryst. Toward this end, they each appeal to the understanding and discretion of the very proper butler, who came with the house.

While the ambassador’s wife, Lois, is away at a health spa, her daughter Debbie is anxious to spend the weekend alone with her new boyfriend, Joe.

Meanwhile, Harry Douglas, the ambassador, has plans for a weekend of fun and games with Marian Murdoch, the luscious next-door neighbor, who is bringing along costumes so that they can act out their fantasies.

A bomb threat to the embassy itself brings on the unexpected arrival of a platoon of US Marines, led by the stalwart Captain South, who is determined to catch the terrorist spy he is sure is lurking somewhere about, while Faye Baker, surely the world’s dumbest secretary, is transferred from the embassy to the country house in order to preside over the emergency hotline phone while she does her nails.

In the role of Perkins, the dignified butler, Rob Pawlikowski serves as the fulcrum for all the dramatic contrivances. Perkins, after all, will not tell a lie, he but sees no need to proffer unnecessary information, and he carries this off as if he had done it all his life.

By contrast, Doug Miller plays Harry with a Clintonesque southern twang that makes you wonder if playwright Michael Parker was not a tad anti-American. Harry chases everything in skirts and is happy to masquerade as Tarzan.

Cadi Poile and Erik Bagger are very sympathetic as the young couple hoping for a bit of privacy, that is spoiled by the arrival of her father, forcing Joe to put on a wig and become “Josephine” – Debbie’s “visiting friend.” Josephine is constantly being pursued by the priapic Harry, which entails running out one door and returning through another, sans wig and dress. There are also bits with ties stuck in zippers at embarrassing points, if you get the picture.

Gene Zingaro is particularly good as the manly Marine, who has the misfortune to be continually concussed by the swinging doors. Suzanne Kinnear is shameless as the neighbor forced to work in the kitchen when she is caught in her French maid’s costume, and Erica O’Connor makes it easy to see how diplomacy can be thwarted by secretarial incompetence, especially when the secretary is armed with a giant size container of super glue.

It’s hardly great art, but for an evening out, Town Players is offering a lot more fun than a lot of the movies around.

(Weekend performances continue until May 21, on Friday and Saturday at 8 pm plus Sunday, May 15, at 2 pm.

Tickets are $15 for the evening shows and $12 for the matinee. Note that the May 6 performance is a benefit show and that tickets may be priced higher.

Contact the theater’s box office at 270-9144. The Little Theatre is on Orchard Hill Road in Newtown.)