Once again Theatre Palisades is to be congratulated for going out on a limb with an interesting choice for the last show of its subscription season, ‘Charley’s Aunt’ by Brandon Thomas. ‘Charley’s Aunt’ was performed in Bury St. Edmunds in February 29, 1892 and moved to the London stage in December of 1892. English farces can be puzzling to California audiences. This is a funny play that works for all ages and is mostly well done, but young audience members will need to be prepped before attending in order to get the full benefit of the comedy. In 1892, young ‘well-bred’ women were not allowed to be alone with men without a chaperone. The first act of the play involves two young men, Charley and Jack, scheming to get two young women over to their residence, so that they might declare their love for them. The perfect opportunity presents itself when Charley’s aunt, Donna Lucia D’Alvadorez, is due to arrive any minute on a visit from Brazil. The two men send a messenger to invite the women for lunch in order to meet her. The two women, Amy and Kitty, agree to come. The story becomes more complicated when the aunt sends a telegram saying she won’t be there for a few days. When the women arrive and see the aunt isn’t there, they leave with promises to return when the aunt arrives. A third friend, Lord Fancourt Babberley (Babbs), comes to visit to show his two friends the woman’s costume that he’s wearing in a play and is instantly pressed into action as the aunt. Since this is a comedy, unforeseen complications make this simple solution a disaster. Babbs loves being with the women and makes sure that they are never left alone with the other two men. Jack asks his father to come to lunch as well in order to have him spend time with the aunt. The women’s custodian and uncle, Stephen Spettigue, arrives and both he and the father fight over the aunt (Babbs). Just when it doesn’t seem as if it can get any more complicated, the real aunt arrives, and once she sees there is already a Donna Lucia D’Alvadorez, uses an assumed name. Physical comedy is important to farce, and Matt Landig as Babbs works up a sweat with the shenanigans he’s asked to perform. He’s fun to watch, and I laughed out loud several times at the hijinks. Another interesting actress is Susan Stangl as Donna Lucia D’Advadorez, who with a sparkle brings her character to life. Totally believable are Drew Fitzsimmons as Jack and Andrew Zimmer as Charley in their earnestness to win their loves. Special mention needs to be made of the lovely mural that’s seen through the well-crafted set. Martha Meade, who has painted murals at local schools and has designed trompe l’oeil in individual homes, painted the piece. It is important to the set because the actors are constantly entering and exiting through the garden doors, and Meade’s work is a focal point. The costumes designed by Joyce Gale Smith are a huge success. Victorian costumes are not readily available on the small budgets that community theaters operate on, but somehow Smith has managed to put together not only everyday attire, but also exquisite evening fashion. ‘Charley’s Aunt’ runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through December 17 at Pierson Playhouse on Haverford. For tickets, call 454-1970.
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