By Mary Brassard and Daniel Brassard
Eric Jensen’s Charlie’s Aunt tells the story of Jack Chesney (Patrick Harris) and Charlie Wykeham (Fred Lee), two Oxford graduates who are madly in love with Kitty Verdun (Clarissa Armstrong) and Amy Spettigue (Cylie Hall). Their wicked uncle and guardian Spettigue (Rob MacArthur) and Charlie gets word that his aunt, the millionaire widow Donna Lucia D’Alvadorez (Jennifer Mustoe) is coming for a surprise visit, so the boys use this a chance to invite their sweethearts for lunch and prepare to declare their love. Charlie’s aunt is newly widowed and rich, so the boys try and set up their friends with her. They turn to their friend Lord Fancourt Babberley aka Babbs (Rusty Bringhurst) to try and woo her, but he has a costume on (he has a bit part as an old lady in a play) that he wants to show off to the boys. Charlie finds out that his aunt isn’t coming and the girls have already arrived (she is to be their chaperone) and with Babbs preparing for his role as a female, he is unwillingly forced to stand in as Charlie’s Aunt!
Co-directors Rusty Bringhurst and Sunny Bringhurst keep the show fast-paced: wonderfully posh humor filled with acting from skilled comedy talent. The camp humor, the quick comedic timing – you can’t help but laugh along. The story itself seems to be a bit all over the place and very hard to keep up with who’s supposed to be together or not, but any reservations here are down to personal taste rather than the production of the show itself.
The casting was perfect. The main three gentleman characters were thoroughly believable and very charming as an ensemble. All three had excellent accents that were both realistic and comically pompous at the same time, quite a feat. They all looked the part, and were each totally committed to their characters and the ridiculous scenarios they had to play out. The additions of Taylor Fultz playing the lovable servant Brassett, and Chris Alderman playing Jack’s father Col. Francis give the show its finishing touches. Fultz gave Brassett a great sense of irony, and played it just enough deadpan, with enough of a smirk to understand that he enjoyed watching his employers fumble and beg for his help. Alisa Jean Rodgers’ Ella was so wonderfully bright-eyed and smiley it put a smile on my face every time she was on the stage.
The standout in this play is the comic talent.Bringhurst was brilliantly goofy. Playing the over the top aunt seemed to be something he enjoyed very much. Occasionally, in the middle of a speech in the shrill voice of the “Aunt”, he would punctuate something with his manliest booming voice. This was very effective and never got old as it got a laugh every time. Every actor found a way to stand out, Alderman’s giggle for example became such a staple, it started getting a laugh just when we heard it, and even Mustoe as Donna Lucia, a straight character in the midst of all the craziness, managed to make us really root for her to get her man.
Now, this show is goofy for sure, and this production was full of well-timed slapstick. There were some sound effects to accompany a few hits, and it was so well-placed and well done, I feel like their sound techs (Zachari Michael Reynolds and Erin Orr) deserve a cut of ticket sales!The slapstick was also played out very nicely, and the use of props was brilliant, including break-apart items.The costumes were also very well done. They all fit well and suited their characters, and complemented the equally well done set very nicely.
I have a few tiny issues as they feel obligatory in a review (who came up with that precdeent, it stinks!). I couldn’t hear a few characters very well (specifically Brassett and Donna Lucia), I am not sure if the rest were on microphones, or just better projectors, but the volume inconsistency was a little distracting. Also, there are a few large plot holes. For example, I couldn’t figure out why they didn’t let the father Sir Chesney in on the whole ruse from the get go. He seemed light-hearted, and to have a good relationship with his boys, and was in on another scheme, so why not tell him? A few things like that, but then again, this is a major farce, and by nature, not very realistic.
This script is advertised as Eric Jensen’s Charlie’s Aunt so it was rewritten for the OBT specifically. I have never read or seen another version, so I cannot comment on whether it was an improvement, but I can say that it felt fast-paced and relevant to a modern audience, so if that was the work of the rewrite (as I suspect) it was well done.
The Off Broadway Theater is a delightful place to take in comic theater. They are dedicated at what they do and as they specialize in comedy, I am rarely let down. They have their own “flavor” they put on things, and I enjoyed that a lot in this production, especially the lead in to intermission! It was clever and while it fit their tradition of an intermission song, it was also different, and fit the show we were seeing. I would also like to say that the OBT has the best priced concessions in town! Bring a few dollars and get some snacks!
This show was a delight for me, and for the audience I sat with that laughed all night long. Come to the OBT and see these great comedians at work! Do it! You’ll like it. You may even learn a little bit about other cultures. I never knew the deep connection between Brazil and nuts!
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Show times and run dates: Monday, Friday, and Saturday, August 16th through September 14th (No showing in Monday, August 19th) & Curtain time is at 7:30 PM & Saturday Matinee, at 2:00 PM; Date: August 31st.
Reserved tickets: Adult: $16, Students / Seniors: $12, Children 12 years and under: $10
Located at 272 S. Main St. SLC, UT 84101
Reservations can be made online at www.theOBT.org or go to www.LaughingStock.us to catch our late night showing of Laughing Stock Improv Comedy every Friday and Saturday @ 10 PM!
Sandy Hubble Jensen
Executive Director
OBT1994@hotmail.com
801-455-0954 cell
801-355-4628 office
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