Review: Leading Ladies

(Des Moines, IA, June 7, 2008)  Promotional material for Leading Ladies, now at the Des Moines Playhouse through June 22nd, led me to expect little more than the basic farce that arises when men are forced to disguise themselves as women. The play, written by Ken Ludwig and originally produced by The Cleveland Playhouse and the Alley Theatre in 2004, certainly meets that expectation in regard to the characters. They are superficial personalities that stay unchanged even as their lives spin out of control. The lines the actors are given include many old gags and comedic stereotypes, all of which are better left back in the 1950’s. Nevertheless, I found myself laughing agreeably throughout most of the play.

Leading Ladies requires strong performances by the actors portraying Leo Clark and Jack Gable for the play to be a success. Maxwell Schaeffer and Royce Dunbar met the challenge easily. That makes it hard to say my favorite performance was by Jason Thomas Rainwater who, as Butch, tried to play a character in Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night while exaggerating the advice his acting coaches gave him. Everyone in the play had at least one scene where his or her acting stood out. The rest of the cast is Megan Schettler (Meg), Carrie Hardisty (Audrey), Michael Davenport (Duncan), Etta Berkowitz (Florence), and Gary Roberts (Doc).

The play is set in Pennsylvania in 1958. The premise is that two down-on-their-luck Shakespearean actors decide to pose as the long lost nieces of a dying woman. A $3 million inheritance and the presence of a third niece add to the plot. There are jokes about community theater, English theater, and the theater of humanity. When Roberts takes the stage as the leader of the Shrewsbury Moose Lodge, react to his energy and pretend you are one of the loyal lodge members by applauding.

Maxwell Schaeffer did a good job as sound designer. Alan Reynolds’ scenic design appeared simple but offered many opportunities for exiting or entering the stage. Ron Ziegler was the director, Angela Lampe the costume designer, John Whatley the lighting designer, Alison Shafer the choreographer of a short dance scene, and Annette Duffy the stage manager.

Leading Ladies is a pleasant and relaxing way to spend 2-1/2 hours away from the summer humidity while supporting local theatre. Show times are Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7:30 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:30 p.m. Call the ticket office at (515) 277-6261 or (515) 974-5358 for group sales.

M.R. Field writes reviews for AroundDesMoines.com.