BRIGHTON, MI–Google defines Farce as :”a comic dramatic work using buffoonery and horseplay and typically including crude characterization and ludicrously improbable situations.”

Unnecessary Farce by Paul Slade Smith performing this weekend at A Wilde Theatre here definitely hits this definition directly on the head with a wee bit of a twist at the very end. 

The light-hearted comedy opens with a phone call disturbing the slumber of a disheveled and half-dressed police officer, Eric Sheridan, expertly played by Mathieu Wiesner. He has a refreshing take on a rookie police officer striving to become a detective with his first undercover sting operation to possibly catch a dirty Mr. Mago-type mayor, played by Tony Amato.  He has help from another rookie cop, Billie Dwyer, played by rookie actress Gwyneth Labine and the city’s newest accountant, Karen Brown, played by Cristian LaBar. Karen and Eric have a hard time keeping their clothes on when a budding romance catches hold of them and heats up multiple times throughout the production. 

The cops and accountant run into so many “ludicrously and improbable situations” involving the Scottish mob.  John DeMerell portrays Todd, the Scottish hitman, and creates laugh after laugh with his accent that becomes increasingly unintelligible as his anger builds.

Theatre owner and production director, Lynn Wilde, seems to love picking shows where the actors end up in multiple stages of undress. Four out of seven of the actors end up in their undergarments. The play becomes a “doors comedy” complete with eight doors and split yet simultaneous room scenes, right down to an uniquely choreographed gun scene with the action taking place over a bed on the small Wilde Theatre stage.

Wilde also needed to step in as the lighting technician during the Sunday afternoon performance and the actors didn’t even break a cue as they smoothly kept the dialogue going in lieu of lights. A truly professional group of actors all around.   

Set builder Al Pelky surprisingly built two mirrored motel rooms complete with four doors each: bathrooms, closets, room doors, and adjoining doors. A Wilde Theatre is such a small stage, it was surprising to see this accomplished, but it was a delight to see a door comedy enacted so well in such a small space.  From the director’s note, it seems like this set was a feat to attempt, and may never be tried again, but it would be something to see Lend Me a Tenor by Ken Ludwig, or The Plaza Suite by Neil Simon tackled here too. 

Tickets are still available for this weekend’s Friday-Sunday performances in Brighton, Michigan. Just be aware that construction is abound in Brighton and parking is difficult to find. Leave yourself an extra fifteen minutes to sort out parking. There is a possibility for a 3rd weekend hold over July 7 and 8, but contact the theatre for more information at www.awildetheatre.com. It’s a fun comedy to enjoy this summer.