What do two cops, three crooks, eight doors, and a kilt-wearing killer have in common? They’re the moving parts in Unnecessary Farce, to be presented by The Pennington Players at Mercer County Community College’s Kelsey Theatre.
Seven actors deliver up the laughs Fridays, Jan. 20 and 27 at 8 p.m.; Saturdays, Jan. 21 and 28 at 8 p.m.; and Sundays, Jan. 22 and 29 at 2 p.m. Kelsey Theatre is located on the West Windsor Campus, 1200 Old Trenton Road. A reception with the cast and crew follows the opening night performance on Jan. 20.
This classic farce, which features slapstick and pratfalls galore, pairs with a contemporary American plot. In a hotel room, an embezzling mayor is supposed to meet with his new accountant. In the room next door, two undercover cops are supposed to catch the meeting on videotape. But there’s some confusion as to who’s in which room, who’s watching the video, who’s taken the money, who’s hired a hit man, and why the accountant keeps taking off her clothes.
The cast features seven of Kelsey Theatre’s own personalities: Michael Gilch of Princeton as Eric Sheridan, an underachieving cop in a small American town; Maria Aromando of Neshanic Station as Billie Dwyer, a newly minted police officer; Sarah Stryker of Princeton as Karen Brown, the accountant; John Maurer of Ewing as Mayor Meekly; Stephanie Zimmerman of Hamilton as Mrs. Meekly; Matthew Cassidy of Morrisville, Pennsylvania, as Frank, the Mayor’s head of security; and James Houston of Bound Brook as Todd, the progressively unintelligible Scotsman.
“Good farce can be very challenging,” Director Peter Bisgaier said. “The actors do a lot of physical comedy, including some stage combat, combined with dialogue and dialect that are key to the plot. Our production team is creating side-by-side motel rooms with a total of eight doors. We are having a lot of fun at rehearsals and are looking forward to sharing it with our audience. It is a very silly, very zany show.”
Tickets are $18 for adults, $16 for seniors and $14 for students and children. Tickets are available online or by calling the Kelsey Theatre Box Office at (609) 570-3333.
The cast of “Unnecessary Farce,” clockwise from left, James Houston as Todd, John Maurer as Mayor Meekly, Sarah Stryker as Karen, Maria Aromando (kneeling) as Billie Dwyer, Michael Gilch as Eric, Stephanie Zimmerman as Mrs. Meekly and Matthew Cassidy (foreground) as Frank.,
