The SBCC Theatre Group loves producing a farce, and their current production, Paul Slade Smith’s Unnecessary Farce, does not shy away from being preposterous. This tight, chaotic fever dream features challenging design elements and some very funny moments.
The play follows a pair of cops (Nicholis Sheley and Charlotte Hecker), both of whom are the Barney Fife of the partnership, at a motel room stakeout. They watch the video feed from a secret camera in the next room, where they’ve set up a sting operation to catch the mayor (James McCarthy) admitting to massive embezzlement in a meeting with his accountant (Felicia Hall). Also in the mix are the mayor’s wife and his inept bodyguard (Matthew Tavianini); and let’s not forget about Todd (Will Hughes), the Highlands hitman, a “dispatcher-for-hire” who plays the bagpipes in traditional Scottish dress before murdering his victims. When he gets agitated, his brogue melts into hazy, northern-isles mush-mouth that the characters can’t understand — a fun gag that runs throughout the show.
Directed by Sara Rademacher, this production utilizes an invisible shared wall to give clear lines of sight into the adjacent hotel rooms where the action takes place. The Jurkowitz Theatre is an intimate space, and the cast shows a mastery of the specificity needed for such physical comedy.
Speaking of set design, Unnecessary Farce is the final SBCC production for the department’s longtime set designer, Pat Frank. According to a lovely pre-show sendoff from her theater department colleagues, Frank’s SBCC career encompassed 41 years and about 200 shows. Congratulations to Frank on her illustrious career!
See Unnecessary Farce at the Jurkowitz Theatre through May 2. Click here for more information and tickets.
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