REVIEW: The Underpants
Image: Ben Gerrard & Gabrielle Scawthorn.
Photo: David Hooley
Steve Martin’s schoolboyish humour wants nothing more than to entertain his audiences.
In this play, set in Imperial Germany, the comedy and complications arise when a woman’s underpants, or rather bloomers, fall down as she and her husband Theo are watching the King’s parade.
Theo castigates Louise, claiming he will lose his job as a clerk when his identity is discovered as Louise’s spouse.
However, two men in the crowd who saw the said underpants fall immediately fall in love (lust?) with Louise and apply to rent a room in the couple’s small apartment.
Eager for the additional income the rent will provide, the unsuspecting husband comes up with an ingenious plan to divide the rental room into two so that he can collect double the rent.
A nosy neighbour jumps at the opportunity this situation offers for Louise to take on a lover, and she sets up a plan to unite the two while the husband is at work.
Bawdy jokes and ribald humour pepper the dialogue throughout this witty play, and all’s well that ends well.
Directed by Anthony Gooley with a great sense of timing, the cast performs with relish, adding layer upon layer of humour with their facial expressions and body language, without which the play might be in danger of falling flat.
Gabrielle Scathorn as the Underpants lady must be singled out for her ability to hold a funny face that breaks the audience up, while Ben Gerrard as Frank Versati carries off the Italian lover’s amorous advances hilariously.
Until Nov 23. Seymour Centre, City Rd & Cleveland Street, Chippendale. $40-$49+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.seymourcentre.com
Reviewed by Irina Dunn
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