DIRECTOR’S NOTES

Okay. Insert blank paper. Stare. Let the inspiration come. Hmmm. Get a cup of coffee. Turn on some light jazz. Sit. Stare at the paper. Maybe a scone. Mmmm…that was good. Note to self…pick up more scones. Okay now, let it flow.

I’ve been asked to type some director’s notes for the OUT OF ORDER program. This is where I might share with you, our cherished audience member, my Unifying Theory Of Comedy (UTOC). Or perhaps detail the grand social and political themes presented in tonight’s work of inestimable greatness, as well as the lessons to be gleaned and applied to our work-a-day world. But really, what would be the point? I mean, you’re here…you’re having a good time…you’re visiting with friends, or family. Isn’t that the most important thing? For this moment does anything else really matter?

This script does have all of the elements that I, personally, look for in great literature: moral dilemmas, heroic behavior, slamming doors and beautiful women (though not necessarily in that order,). I could do a lengthy essay about how power corrupts, the diminishment of ethics in our modern society, or the comedy that can be mined from extremes of hypocrisy. But I was raised on the antics of Abbott and Costello, and Monty Python. And sometimes I just want to take nothing seriously.

I will tell you this, though ­ it’s a thrill to work with Gary Sandy on this show. He’s creative, energetic, enthusiastic, and he’s perfect for the part, as you shall soon see. I’ve also had the great good fortune to work on this show with some of the most talented actors in our community. And as long as I’m handing out some recognition, the team of designers and technicians that we have here at New Theatre are the best that anyone could ask for (he said, intentionally dangling a participle).

And if I’m going to share one more thing with you, it is this: I really appreciate this opportunity, and the support and encouragement that I have received from Richard Carrothers and Dennis Hennessy. For fifteen years they have been my bosses, friends and mentors, (though not necessarily in that order,). If I ever do arrive at a UTOC, it will only be by virtue of working alongside Richard and Dennis for so many shows, and being a personal witness to the passion, care and…yes…love that they bring to this strange craft of ours.

I hope you enjoy the show.

Joe R. Fox III
Vice President of Production

THEATER REVIEW | ‘Out of Order’ at the New Theatre
THIS FARCE WORKS FINE
by Robert Trussell, December 08, 2007

Perfectly timed performances keep this little romp well-oiled.

Well, when the curtain call includes one actor in a dress, another in a towel and an actress clutching a towel of her own, you know you’ve just seen a farce. The play in question is “Out of Order,” now on stage at the New Theatre with an exceptional cast of local actors headed by guest-star Gary Sandy. This slamming-door romp is the work of British playwright Ray Cooney. But here director Joe Fox has cleverly “Americanized” the material by keeping the basic plot mechanics but setting the action in a Washington hotel suite.

A powerful senator, the majority whip of an unnamed party, plans a discreet tryst with a young secretary who works for the minority whip of the opposition party. Their discovery of what they believe to be the corpse of a man wedged in one of the hotel windows sets off a chain of events that serves up most of the familiar elements we’ve come to expect from a Cooney play: a wild spiral of mistaken identities, lies built on lies, characters hiding in closets, disaster averted only by the fractional timing of opening or slamming doors and, of course, two or three homophobic gags. What you get at the New Theatre is a slick execution of the material that impresses with its professionalism, even when some of the jokes fall flat. At times it’s a little like watching the inner workings of a Swiss watch.

Sandy turns in an expansive, energetic performance as Sen. Richard Wiley, who turns to his chief of staff, George Pidgeon, to “fix” a problem that quickly swings out of control. Wiley’s twofold dilemma is (a) move the body so that it can be “discovered” somewhere far from the senator; (b) get his would-be lover, Miss Worthington, out of the suite without being seen. But soon complications mount. Miss Worthington loses her dress. Her jealous husband shows up and storms around the hotel. The senator’s wife makes an unexpected appearance. The body disappears. The hotel manager begins asking too many questions. And a doddering bellman pops in repeatedly to sow additional confusion.

The chief pleasure of this production is watching good actors do their jobs. This cast seems ideally suited to the material. As Miss Worthington, Heidi Stubblefield further refines her dumb-blonde schtick and demonstrates an infallible sense of timing. Craig Benton, who plays George, is at his manic, exasperated best. Rusty Sneary as Ronnie, the jealous husband, gets laughs by playing it straight. James Wright morphs impressively from obsequiousness to impatience and finally outrage as the hotel manager. Doogin Brown delivers a uniquely amusing physical performance as a hapless private detective who at one point succumbs to amnesia. And Addison Meyers provides some of the biggest laughs of the evening as the forgetful bellman who collects more in tips in one night that he has in weeks. Appearing in Act 2 to add even more layers of comic mayhem are Melinda MacDonald, who plays the senator’s wife with matter-of-fact efficiency, and Kristen French, who plays an angry nurse smitten with George.

It’s tempting to dismiss this kind of material as inconsequential fluff — until you remember that you’re watching a contemporary variation of a very old, time-honored tradition. Farce isn’t easy to do. But this cast makes it look very easy indeed.

Kansas City Kansan review
Out of Order: One madcap comedy
by Alan Hoskins

The American Heritage Dictionary defines “madcap” as “a rash or impulsive person.” To see it in action, one needs to go no farther than the New Theatre Restaurant’s newest comedy, “Out of Order.”

Gary Sandy of “WKRP in Cincinnati” fame does the honors in the hilarious farce that runs through Feb. 10, 2008. Outstanding casting has long been the trademark of artistic directors Richard Carrothers and Dennis Hennessy and “Out of Order” is certainly no exception.

Sandy is perfect as Richard Wiley, a powerful but less than ethical U.S. Senator who has booked a hotel room for nefarious purposes – only to find a dead body in a window leading to a balcony. If the body – or his would-be lover – are found, the Senator’s career as a majority whip goes in the tank as well as threatening the future of the President and his administration.

It’s madcap mayhem from there on out with Wiley setting the tone with his laugh provoking assertion, “I would never lie. I’m a U.S. Senator!” In reality, there’s no semblance of truth as one lie is followed by a bigger one and then an even bigger one. Perky Heidi Stubblefield stars as Jane Worthington, a young secretary who works for the minority whip of the opposition party but is more than a willing partner in Wiley’s tryst. She first loses her dress, than has her husband unexpectedly show up to further add to the complications facing the senator. An inquiring, suspicious hotel manager and a nosey bellman continue to show up at the most inappropriate times as does Wiley’s wife – while the body disappears.

To resolve the dilemma, the Senator summons his chief of staff, George Pidgeon, portrayed by Craig Benton. With a string of outstanding New Theatre performances, Benton has become a huge Kansas City favorite and doesn’t disappoint as he attempts to cope with one crisis after another. Not only he is charged with getting the Senator off the hook, his finds himself in not one but two amorous situations. With his hand constantly out in search of a tip, Addison Meyers provides some of the best humor in his role as a forgetful bellman; James Wright makes a solid transition from a cordial to impatient to furious hotel manager; and Rusty Sneary comes on as Worthington’s furious, jealous husband who is determined to find his wife’s lover. Melinda MacDonald as Wright’s wife and Kristen French, a nurse who cares for Pidgeon’s ailing mother, add more comic mayhem to the second act in roles that wills surprise while Doogin Brown delivers a unique performance as a hapless private detective who dies time and time again – or does he?

It’s an ending you’ll not want to miss – or the standing ovation for an exceptional cast.