What the Butler Saw
If you're down in the dumps or feeling the doldrums, the Little
Fish Theatre production of "What the Butler Saw" is guaranteed to
snap you out of what ails you and send you home smiling.
It just opened last weekend in downtown San Pedro (twenty
minutes from Long Beach across the Vincent Thomas Bridge) and was
sold out immediately; so make reservations now.
Under the tight-fisted direction of Melanie Jones, a fast-paced
ensemble of six mad-cap characters turn Joe Orton's farce into a
non-stop laugh fest. Everything is fair game--and we do mean
everything--notably sex, government authority, psychiatry and
conventional morality.
From the opening scene to its riotous end, Orton's style is
reminiscent of Oscar Wilde. But since it was written in the
turbulent sixties, the comedic content is bawdy and more raunchy.
We've said it before and it's worth repeating: Farce is the most
difficult genre of comedy to perform. Timing is crucial, characters
must be larger-than-life, and directors must have the knack to sling
the work boldly into the audience.
So hats off to this production which has the chutzpah to deliver
the goods. Pay close attention. Just under the surface of Orton's
farce, outrageous satire is skewering the hypocrisy of stodgy British
society.
Everything starts with a bang in a private psychiatric clinic
where Dr. Prentice (the wonderful Rodney Rincon) is interviewing
Geraldine Barclay (Rebecca Sigl) for a secretarial position. Within
seconds, the lecherous doctor asks her to undress on the pretext of
examining her. Since she can't type or take short-hand (well duh!) the
naive young girl obliges him.
Then in storms the doctor's sex-starved wife (Suzanne Dean at
the top of her form), who claims she was just raped by a bellboy
(the cute Brandon Leyton) in some seedy downtown hotel.
While naked Geraldine hides in the examination room, Mrs.
Prentice dons the girl's dress, telling her husband the bellboy stole
hers and sold it. On cue he bursts through the door demanding money
for naughty pictures he took of her during their wild sexual romp.
Before the audience can stop laughing, in storms Dr. Rance (the
terrific Mark Cross), a looney government official who's come to evaluate
the clinic and make a report. Poor Prentice is instantly put
on the spot to explain who's who, what's what, and why it's all
happening in his "highly respectable clinic."
Clothes are exchanged, identities are mistaken, naked people run
on and off stage, doors slam, and pandemonium breaks loose. While
Dr. Prentice attempts to orchestrate the antics with professional
dignity (which is utterly impossible), Dr. Rance draws such
ridiculous conclusions from the madness, he reveals he's completely
unhinged. In fact it's Rance who belongs in a straight-jacket.
At the end of Act I, Sergeant Match (the delightful Chris Aron)
comes to the rescue when Rance sets off the police alarm. Far from
controlling the situation, the cop himself becomes part of the
bedlam; which makes Act II more frenetic than ever--and the surprise
ending too delicious for words
"What the Butler Saw" continues at Little Fish Theatre, 777
Centre St. (near corner of 7th), San Pedro; Fri-Sun, through Sept 19.
For information call (310) 512-5030 or www.littlefishtheatre.org