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Not Now, Darling

REVIEW

11/2003

(Please scroll all the way down for both reviews)

Reviewer: Gerry Reeves

       If you’re looking for a serious night in the theater, this is probably not the place for you. If you’re looking for an evening of fun, a lot of laughs, marvelous acting and a wonderful cast, “Not Now Darling” is definitely your cup of tea.

       This British farce by Ray Cooney and John Chapman leaves audiences at Lamplighters Community Theater in La Mesa holding their sides between sidesplitting guffaws and rolling-in-the-aisle laughter. Suspicious wives, mistaken identities, scantily clad girls popping in and out of closets; and a barrage of rapid-fire jokes from the opening straight through to the end has left audiences in hysterics. A romp of marital infidelity, the play moves at a dizzying pace with cheaters being cornered and ultimately brought to justice by their own human foibles.

    “Not Now Darling” opened Nov. 15 at the Lamplighters Community Theatre in La Mesa with a talented cast that is every bit up to the precise timing, pace, and the comic and physical demands of this hilarious and fast-moving production. Director Jim Caputo insures there is not a dull moment and guides this exceptional group of actors into giving among the best performances in San Diego this year.

      The show runs Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 with a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee through Dec. 8.

     The successful West End hit, “Not Now Darling” is set in the elegant fur salon Bodley, Bodley & Crouch.  Arnold Crouch (Mark Loveless) strives in his own meek and dithering way to hold the business together while Gilbert Bodley (Jonathan Sachs)  spends most of his time and efforts dallying in the art of seduction. His current target is Janie (Jane Rupp), a beautiful former stripper whom he intends to bed while his wife, Maud (Connie Terwiliger), is out of town. Bodley’s grand scheme is to woo Janie with a 5,000 pound mink coat and to get her husband, Harry (Steve Jensen), to purchase it for her for a mere 500 pounds. Harry, however, is no fool, recognizes the bargain when he sees one and decides to buy the mink instead for his curvaceous little secretary, Sue Lawson (Debbie Britt-Hay).

     Gilbert becomes quite demented by this turn of events and both he and Crouch are further muddled when Janie strips and refuses to leave the salon without the mink she was promised. Their frenzied attempts to retrieve the coat from and hide the naked Janie are further complicated by the unexpected arrival of Gilbert’s wife, Maud. Meanwhile, Arnold’s method of coping with the array of discarded ladies underwear is to throw them out of the window and it is left to Miss Tipdale (Teri Brown), the firm's spinster secretary, to retrieve the garments and the situation whenever necessary. The hilarious permutations reach a point of hysteria before everyone gets their just deserts.

     It’s hard to say enough about this exceptional cast. Sachs, as the harassed and out-of-control philander, couldn’t be funnier. He is the perfect, urbane British letch.  He and Loveless, as the innocent and mostly befuddled partner, combine their comic talents to play off each in a punchy manner that brings to mind the comedy teams of the 1950s. Loveless provides an enormous range of comic expressions that never fails to get a huge laugh. Brown, a veteran actor and Aubrey Award winner, comes through with another knockout performance that keeps the show on track with her incredible timing and comic skills.  The two women, Rupp and Britt-Hay, are as lovely and shapely as they are talented. Both demonstrate comic skill as this farce unfolds. Jensen is perfect as the two-timing husband who manages to give his wife’s ill-gotten fur to his secretary. Terwiliger couldn’t be better as Gilbert’s strong-willed wife, who has a trick or two of her own up her sleeve. Mr. and Mrs. Frencham (Honey Mark and Ed Eigner) provide their share of laughs throughout this funny, funny show.  Mary Perez (Miss Whittington) and John Lawrence Clark (Mr. Lawson) do their share to bring laughter to a hilarious evening.

Reviewer: Robert Hitchcock

Just who is doing what with whom? Not Now, Darling, penned by Ray Cooney and John Chapman, hilariously explores relationships. Gilbert is developing a relationship with Janie,  while his wife is in the south of France. Harry, Janie's husband, is a bit adventurous also. In the middle of this is Arnold, who would not know a relationship if it stared him in the face. And it does!

The playwrights took complete advantage of the English language. Puns, double entendres, and alliterations flew from the mouths of the actors. And the audience roared. I cannot possibly tell you of all the relationships that develop or the complexity of the plot. To tell you would give away too much of this farce.

Director Jim Caputo brought together a fine cast who knew the value of a freeze, for laughter. He moved his cast about the stage, further enhancing the humor. He and Gordon Jones designed as set that met the requirements of this type of comedy - a lot of doors, not only for entrances and exits, but also for comedic effect. His cast, also, lightly handled the British accents with aplomb.

Within a couple of minutes, due to a delightful reveal by Miss Whittington (Mary L. Perez, who did double duty as stage manager), the audience was laughing. They didn't stop until after the amusing curtain call. Mark Loveless, shy furrier Arnold Crouch, is charming as a man drawn into the duplicity of his partner, Gilbert Bodley (Jonathan Sachs). The plot thickens as more and more relationships are revealed.

Teri Brown, as their frenetic secretary, Miss Tipdale, is unbelievably hyper, creating a delightful madness as she balances wives, lovers, and husbands. She is the traffic cop of the relationships. Jonathan Sachs, caught between lover and wife, manages his character well as Gilbert slowly loses control as the plot thickens. The object of his affections is the charming Janie (Jane E. Rupp), who comes in to purchase a fur with her husband Harry (Steve Jensen). Janie is delightfully sweet, albeit materialistic. Her husband is a bit pompous and overbearing.

Confued yet? Add to this mix Sue Lawson (Debbie Britt-Hay), Harry's secretary and her husband played by John Lawrence Clark. Britt-Hay plays the dumb blond secretary well, while Clark plays a tough, rough bruiser of a husband that nobody would dare mess with. We must not forget Maude (Connie Terwilliger) who has returned unexpectedly, causing the original duplicity. She is, of course, a proper English lady. Or is she? Rounding out the cast is Honey Mark and Ed Eigner, the elderly Mr. and Mrs. Frencham, who have their own mixed-up agenda.

In comedy, timing is everything. In Not Now, Darling, the timing is close to perfect. The cast is a finely tuned machine whose entrances and exits are split-second perfection, whose reactions say as much as the delightful wordplay. The audience enjoyed their performances and the ever increasing complexity of the relationships

Thematic music underscored the action, further accenting the humor, and set up both acts well. Producer Judy Hughes dressed the set quite properly for the furrier's salon. Costumer Teri Brown provided some nice furs. She delighted the audience with her selection of lingerie, which is seen extensively throughout the play.

Not Now, Darling is extremely funny. The cast is talented, and well versed in presenting humor professionally. This is one of the funniest shows of the season. I hope you see it.

1/14/04