Play review: 'Butler'opens door for classic farce at Metropolis

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"The Butler Didn't," playing at Metropolis, has all the elements of a classic farce.

Updated: April 8, 2011 11:26AM

Farce, a theatrical tradition going back centuries to the ancient Greeks and Romans, is very much alive and well in 2011.

Look no further than "The Butler Didn't!" at the Metropolis Performing Arts Centre. This new comic piece, written by Scott Woldman and directed by Brad Dunn, is a perfect example of the genre.

Mistaken identities? Check.

Sexual innuendo? Check.

Witty repartee? Check.

It has all the elements farce is known for: far-fetched situations, stock characters, violent horseplay and unrestrained exaggeration.

Woldman's script doesn't miss a beat when it comes to physical humor and a convoluted storyline built around calculated absurdity.

Michael B. Woods, seen earlier this year at Metropolis in "The Boys Next Door," plays Rick, a desperate jewel thief who must score big in order to pay off a debt he owes an insistent mobster. He has insinuated himself as a butler in the household of an aging billionaire, where he and a partner, the inept Ernesto (Richard Perez), plan to crack a livingroom wall safe containing a fortune in cash.

Ezekiel Podmore (played by David Belew), the wealthy tycoon, spends most of his time on stage unconscious in a wheelchair or on a sofa as the would-be thieves wrestle with what they initially thought would be a straightforward plan.

Running interference are unexpected appearances by Podmore's young trophy wife Cassie (Jackie Trabilsy) and money-grubbing daughter Laura (Michelle Weissgerber), both of whom would like to see Podmore permanently out of the picture so they could inherit his estate. To complicate matters, the two women -- unbeknownst to each other -- also are having an ongoing affair with Rick.

Among others who interrupt the proceedings are Anna (Elizabeth Dowling), the old man's lawyer who, upon meeting Ernesto and believing him to be a successful Mexican doctor and philanthropist, is convinced she has met her soul mate.

Also making an inopportune visit are the family's confused, doddering physician (Chuck Sisson) and a curious but not very observant cop (Chris Warren).

As the play progresses, to prevent the planned heist from going awry, the beset Rick weaves an ever-more-complex web of outrageous lies.

In the end, however, Perez, as Ernesto, fighting racial stereotyping and an uncontrollable penchant for falling in love at the wrong time, steals the show.

While not all of its tomfoolery hits home, there's enough that sticks in "The Butler Didn't" to make this screwball comedy a winner.

"The Butler Didn't"

Metropolis Performing Arts Centre, 111 W. Campbell St., Arlington Heights. Performances 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays, 7 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays through April 17. Tickets: $35-$43. (847) 588-577-2121 or www.metropolisarts.com.

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