‘The Underpants’ @ Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas
Photos by Kris Ikejiri
—Hannah Kneen
Looking for farce? Steve Martin’s 2002 adaptation of The Underpants, now playing at MainStage Irving-Las Colinas, should do nicely. Director B.J. Cleveland leans hard into the exaggerated, farcical elements of this 1910 comedy by the German playwright Carl Sternheim—and though I sometimes found myself wishing for a more human, less over-the-top approach, this is a funny play.
The story kicks off with an argument between Mr. and Mrs. Maske (played by Brian Davis and Ashley Hawkins) about a terribly scandalous incident in which her underpants fell down in public (at a parade, in fact). Husband Theo, worried about how the incident might possibly impact his job, reputation, and income, scolds his young wife Louise for the slip—and Louise makes her dissatisfaction known to her always-interested neighbor Gertrude Deuter (played by Brandy Raper).
Gertrude knows Louise and Theo don’t have a satisfactory sex life: Theo believes they don’t have enough money for children. The nosy neighbor is eager to live vicariously through Louise, however, and ends up encouraging her to have an affair. As one may guess, the play is full of bawdy humor, sausages, and conveniently shaped cream pies. Director Cleveland doesn’t let any opportunity for an R-rated joke slip by—something I can appreciate in a play that was clearly designed for it.
The underpants incident not only gets Louise thinking about an affair—but provides the opportunity. A young poet who saw Louise’s wardrobe malfunction, Frank Versati (Michael Speck), soon shows interest in renting the spare room the Maske’s have been advertising. He seems a perfect candidate, full of flowery language and romantic notions. Benjamin Cohen (played by the very well-cast Russell Sims) is Versati’s barber; he also bore witness to the incident and wants to protect Louise from Versati. He too applies to rent the room, and Theo accepts them both into his home, none-the-wiser to the various schemes playing out under his roof.
Louise, with encouragement from Gertrude, pursues a physical relationship with Versati, who is so busy rhapsodizing about her that he forgets to actually touch her. The awkward barber is so easily overwhelmed by emotion that he faints at a small kiss. Perhaps, as barber Benjamin explains later, his poet customer is really searching for fantasy and inspiration (not sex), while he is looking for a damsel in distress (not sex). And Louise and a third boarder, a scientist (who does want sex), fall into a series of mis-understandings that block any hanky-panky.
In any case, poor Louise is forlorn—she’s not making much headway toward having an affair or a more exciting life. Husband Theo (who has a momentary notion of having an fling himself), is all about “duty”—by which he seems to mean money. Now that they’ve rented their spare room, Theo thinks they can afford a child—but is Louise interested? She seems to have lost the confidence and excitement she gained by dropping her drawers.
Fortunately, the underpants have one more gift to give at the end of the play—and Louise gets the last word.
Scenic designer/set dresser/master carpenter Wendy Searcy-Woode has created a lovely set that was practical but also popped with color. The costumes by Michael A. Robinson/Dallas Costume Shoppe also stood out and suited the play well. Of course, not every technical aspect workedperfectly. There were a number of tableaux throughout the production in which the characters froze in a spotlight. Some of these worked to great effect, but others felt a bit flat and awkward; whether the issue was timing or something else I’m not sure.
Many in the audience were clearly having a ball with the play, though my reaction was mixed. Instead of emphasizing the human aspects of the farce—and then taking them to the point of humor—some of the characters were so exaggerated as to seem a bit plastic and overdone. It was at times harder to find the humor than it would have been if a more natural style had been employed. Brandy Raper’s Gertrude and Michael Corolla’s Klinglehoff (the scientist) came through as slightly more genuine than the others (even though they were also playing up the farce), so I think it’s do-able. Then again, maybe it just wasn’t my style.
WHEN: July 14-29, 2023
WHERE: Dupree Theater/Irving Arts Center, 3333 N. MacArthur Blvd, Irving TX
WEB: mainstageirving.com
