Whence "Oblivion"?

"Oblivion" -- Westport Country Playhouse -- Through Sept. 8

                             Johanna Day, Katie Broad, and Reg Rogers in

                             the world premiere of “Oblivion.” Photo by Carol Rosegg

Dialogue evolves from character. Whether it’s “To be or not to be,” “I have always depended on the kindness of strangers,” or “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a damn,” you know when you hear the words that this character, in this situation, is speaking his or her truth, or at least what he or she believes truth to be. Then there are words, be they ever so well written, that are spoken by an actor on stage that just don’t seem to be coming from the character speaking them. You can sense what you are hearing is the playwright’s voice, not the character’s. Such is the case with many of the lines delivered in “Oblivion,” a humorous and, at moments, insightful play by Carly Mensch receiving its world premiere at the Westport Country Playhouse. Parts work. Yet, the whole is less than the sum of its parts.

            The play, directed with a good sense of pacing and character interaction by Mark Brokaw, deals with a nuclear family consisting of a father, Dixon (Reg Rogers), a burnt-out lawyer now ostensibly writing a novel that will expose the evils of the legal profession (a la Grisham), a mother, Pam (Johanna Day), a television producer, their rebellious daughter, Julie (Katie Broad), and her high school friend, Bernard (Aidan Kunze), an erstwhile filmmaker with a fixation on the film critic Pauline Kael.

                         Katie Broad and Aidan Kunze. Photo by Carol Rosegg 

There’s trouble in the family, ostensibly because Julie is a teenager and, well, by definition…but it goes deeper than that, for Mom and Dad are freethinkers, of a sort, and Julie has just discovered religion…actually, she’s just discovered Jesus, via Bernard, who is, himself, not too sure about the whole religious thing but is willing to go along for the ride because he loves Julie.

Conflict abounds…Mom and Dad have different views on parenting, and different views on Julie’s sudden fascination with religion, and different views on, well, just about everything, and Julie, well she has shifting views on her parents and God and sex and love and kissing and…well, just about everything a teenager might fixate on…including the kitchen sink. No, sorry, she has no thoughts on the kitchen sink…or, at least, if she does, they aren’t expressed.

As the atoms in this nuclear family whirl about each other, Mensch creates many moments that ring true and elicit laughter, but it soon becomes clear that the playwright is taking on a bit too much: too many themes, too many roads down which her characters half-travel but never arrive at a clear destination. There’s religion and teenage angst and rebellion, mid-life crisis and ennui, marital infidelity (real or imagined)…and filmmaking, both its theory and practice. In the end, which has Bernard screening his first film, there is supposed to be some kind of resolution, the nature of which remains to be seen.

            Katie Broad and Johanna Day. Photo by Carol Rosegg 

The show, however, by and large works, and that is to the credit of the four actors who work well together and generate more steam and heat than the dialogue often allows. Broad gives the audience a perfect example of a teenage girl in faux crisis, with appropriate facial expressions and body language that convey her disdain for anything her parents might suggest, and Day and Rogers are a believable middle-aged couple trying to find again the reasons they once came together. Most of the heavy, playwright-thinking dialogue falls upon Kunze to deliver, and he does what he can with it, but you sense that no teenager, no matter how cinema-smitten, would ever utter these words (or not know that his idol, Kael, has gone off to the big screening room in the sky).

“Oblivion” makes several strong rushes down the runway but never truly lifts off. That is perhaps because the play is unsure of its destination, which was obvious from the audience reaction when it finally realized, “Well, that’s all folks.” Yes, but what about God and religion and…well, everything else that was on Mensch’s mind when she sat down to write her play? All answered with a black-out, which might be translated as a cop-out.

“Oblivion” runs through September 8. For tickets or more information call 203-227-4177 or go to www.westportcountryplayhouse.org.

Time, No Matter How Horrific, Stands Still

Time Stands Still -- Hartford TheaterWorks -- Thru Sept. 15

                          Tim Altmeyer and Erika Rolfsrud. Photo by Lanny Nagler.

Much coverage has been given to the problems that combat veterans face during and after their service. Through countless news articles and television specials we have become aware that these young men and women may, as a result of what they have experienced in a war zone, suffer depression, anxiety and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder. Little attention, however, has been given to those who cover these conflicts – the journalists and photographers who, in words and pictures, attempt to capture “the horror” of war. They are witnesses to carnage, cruelty and chaos, yet must, at least on the surface, maintain objectivity. The price for doing so can be great.

Such is the subject of “Time Stands Still,” a gripping play by Pulitzer Prize-winner Donald Margulies that recently opened at Hartford TheaterWorks under the very capable direction of TheaterWorks’ artistic director Rob Ruggiero.

This 2010 Tony Award Nominee for Best Play, set in a loft in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn in 2009, opens with James (Tim Altmeyer) assisting Sarah (Erika Rolfsrud) into the loft, for she, a photojournalist, has just returned from Iraq where she was seriously wounded in a roadside bombing incident – her face is scarred, an arm is in a sling and she has a cast on her right leg. Not long after their entrance it becomes obvious that all is not well in this non-marital relationship that has lasted for over eight years – one of the initial flashpoints being that James, a journalist, left Iraq after experiencing a searing incident in which children were violently killed, his body becoming covered in their blood and viscera. Sarah stayed behind until she was injured.

But the couple’s problems run deeper, for while in Iraq alone, Sarah had a relationship with their “fixer,” an Iraqi “guide” of sorts, a relationship James is aware of…but bubbling beneath all of this is Sarah’s continuing commitment to her job and James’ slow realization that he now wants to lead a “normal,” “comfortable” life. It is out of this tension that Marguiles has crafted an often riveting, multi-dimensional drama that deals with both the physical and mental scars of war, the “ethic” of the journalist covering that war, and the mindset of those who must write about or photograph the cruelty that is the nature of combat, especially the devastating impact the conflict can have on civilians.

                         Matthew Boston and Liz Holman. Photo by Lanny Nagler

Adding fuel to the fire is the appearance of the two journalists’ editor, Richard, (Matthew Boston) and his companion, Mandy (Liz Holtan), a woman, an event planner, much younger than Richard. The graying editor is obviously smitten. Sarah, and to a lesser extent, James are initially disdainful of this May-October relationship, but as my play-going partner pointed out, Marguiles uses this initial reaction as one of the means by which he chronicles the changes that James, and especially Sarah (who ‘softens’ as the evening progresses), undergo.

As these four characters interact in the loft, beautifully crafted by set designer Luke Hegel-Cantarella and creatively lit (including a final, fitting black-out) by John Lasiter, the audience is challenged to deal with the cost – and the morality behind – delivering the news seen on television or read about in newspapers or magazines. The major problem, as Mandy points out in an emotionally charged scene (using an anecdote about an elephant and her baby caught in a sandstorm, a segment of a documentary she saw), is that to capture the story or the image the journalist must stand aloof, remain uninvolved, as people are suffering and dying. Mandy asks Sarah how she can just stand there; why doesn’t she help? Sarah’s answer is that by doing her job she is helping – James is no longer so sure.

Ruggiero has directed this quartet of outstanding actors with an eye towards pacing that is, at moments, breathtaking, especially during the numerous arguments as the actors bite into each other’s lines in a manner anyone who has had a heated verbal conversation with a friend or loved one will find totally believable.

Though some of the questions Marguiles raises are answered, and there is resolution of sorts for at least three of the characters, the core question of the ethical nature of what journalists must do to ‘get’ the story is left up to the audience to decide, for though James has found a certain peace, Sarah clings to her first love, which at the end of the show she grips with all of her strength as she looks through the aperture and, for a moment, time stands still for her.

The play runs through Sept. 15. Tickets: 860-527-7838 or go to www.theatderworkshartford.org

A Delightful "Dreamgirls"

"Dreamgirls" -- Ivoryton Playhouse -- Through Sept. 1

            Brennyn Lark Langhorn, Jennlee Shallow, Sheniqua Denise Trotman,                                Ashley Jeudy. Photo by Anne Hudson

Every so often, and it’s rare, the Ivoryton Playhouse bites off a bit more than it can produce, especially when it takes on “big” musicals, but such is not the case with its production of “Dreamgirls.” Blessed with a fantastic cast superbly directed by Lawrence Thelen and deftly choreographed by Todd L. Underwoood, this show pleases on just about every level. At the curtain call the cast got the obligatory standing “O,” but in this case it was more than well deserved.

The musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen, opened on Broadway in December, 1981, won six Tony Awards, and was subsequently made into a film. It tells the story of a three-girl singing group (a la The Supremes and the Shirelles) attempting to find both their style and their “voice” as they deal with demanding managers, record company executives, the pay-offs that grease the palms to get songs played on the radio and their own emotional development.

The plot is simplistic – girls want to achieve – girls fail early – girls fight back and find success – girls start “bitchin’” at each other (mostly over men – and who sings ‘lead’) – girls break up – girls come together in the end. Such is the stuff of Broadway and Hollywood fluff, but it’s enjoyable fluff. So, it’s not gripping drama, but the songs, and how they are delivered, are what this show is all about, and Ivoryton has managed to gather together a host of talented actors who know how to sell the songs they are given. They result is often mesmerizing.

“Dreamgirls” has gone though many iterations, and the version offered by Ivoryton is “Dreamgirls” lite, but that’s okay because it allows the songs to drive the show and the talent to shine. The brightest, if stellar power can be measured, is Sheniqua Denise Trotman as Effie, the disaffected Dreamgirl, the one who should be the lead singer, should get her man, but doesn’t, and has to reinvent herself. The role has been played by many divas, and it is often oversold, but Trotman never loses sight of the ache beneath the false bravado. Hence, her rendition of “I’m Not Going,” which often comes off as strident showcasing, is heartfelt and moving. She really makes you feel the need and the hurt…and the longing. It closes Act I and makes you want to come back for more.

                         Caliaf St. Aubyn as Jimmy Early. Photo by Anne Hudson.

Then there’s Caliaf St. Aubyn as Jimmy “Thunder” Early (think James Brown morphing into Jackie Wilson). His performance as the Soul Brother who has to turn the funk down to play to the larger record-buying audience (read white audience) is a tour de force. He has the moves, he has the gyrations, he has the manner, he has the style.

Who else shines? Well, just travel out to Ivoryton, pick up a program and read down the “Cast of Characters.” This is a “big’ show in a relatively small theater, made more special by the efforts of lighting designer Marcus Abbott. Any problems? Well, sitting in the balcony it was often difficult to hear all of the dialogue. Whether this was because of speed of delivery or sound levels was difficult to determine. Frustrating, but overall a minor distraction.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Ivoryton decides to extend this run…word-of-mouth alone is going to create ticket demand. Right now, “Dreamgirls” runs through Sept. 1. For tickets or more information call 860-767-7318 or go to www.ivorytonplayhouse.org.

A Midsummer Night's Delight

"A Midsummer Night's Dream" -- Ct Free Shakespeare -- thru Aug. 4 in Stratford; Aug  7 thru 11 in Bridgeport

                                     "The Mechanicals" -- photo by Judy Barbosa

This is not a suggestion, this is an order: go see CT Free Shakespeare’s production of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” You won’t regret it, for this is Shakespearean comedy as it should be played, broad and farcical, with the actors (and what a cast!) enjoying themselves almost as much as the audience members.

As directed by artistic director Ellen Lieberman, who also guided last year’s marvelous production of “Romeo and Juliet,” “Dream” is a non-stop delight from start to finish. The plot is classic Shakespeare: Lysander (Mark Friedlander – last year’s Romeo) loves Hermia (Caitlyn Chuckta), Helena (Rebekah Dunn) loves Demetrius (Brian Vaughan), but the course of true love is never smooth, for Hermia’s father, Egeus (Matthew Catalano) would rather see his daughter marry Demetrius. To make this happen, he calls upon Theseus, Duke of Athens (Andrew Spieker), who offers the rebellious lass three options: marry Demetrius, spend her life in a nunnery or death. Hermia and Lysander flee into the forest, a big mistake, followed swiftly by Helena and Demetrius, an even bigger mistake.

In the forest, Oberon (Jonathan Holtzman) and Titania (Saluda Camp), King and Queen of the fairies, are having a bit of a marital spat over a boy Titania has adopted. As husbands will, Oberon seeks to influence his wife by having her fall in love with the first creature she sets eyes upon. To accomplish this, Oberon instructs his servant, Puck (Eric Nyquist) to pick up some magic love drops. Yes, the drops will be used…a bit too liberally.

To complicate matters, a group of craftsmen under the direction of Peter Quince (an absolutely marvelous Uma Incrocci) are rehearsing a play, “Pyramus and Thisbe,” to be presented for the Duke at his wedding. The craftsman who is to have the starring role is one Nick Bottom (Ian Eaton), but alas, he runs afoul of Puck, who thinks it’s a great idea if Bottom should be graced with the head of a donkey. Once transformed, Bottom is, of course, the first person Titania sets eyes upon when she wakes.

                             Jonathan Holtzman as Oberon. Photo by Judy Barbosa

What follows is controlled, riotous confusion as lovers fall in and out of love with each other and the craftsman continue to rehearse. Of course, everything works out in the end, but not before the craftsmen get to present their play, one of the funniest set-pieces you will see this year.

Lieberman is also responsible for the adaptation, and she has nipped and tucked the five-act play so that it moves along handily – the whole shooting match, including the group’s signature intermission (which involves singing, dancing and audience participation) runs just slightly over two hours, concluding with the cast members, after the curtain call, coming out and joining the audience. If nothing else (and it is so much else) the show is extremely viewer-friendly.

As for the cast, well, you just couldn’t ask for a better ensemble, so much so that it is difficult – and possibly unfair – to praise any one cast member. Yet, among the many fine performances several deserve mention, the first being that of Eaton, whose Bottom is brash, pretentious and completely taken with himself. Once transformed by Puck, Eaton, now sporting donkey ears, simply owns just about every scene he is in. He plays to the crowd (fortunately not threatened by cutpurses or distracted by pie sellers) and the crowd eats it up. But there’s competition, especially from Incrocci, who is blessed with great timing and a knack for physical comedy (especially when it involves balloons – yes, balloons). Then there’s Stephen Humes, who plays Francis Flute and, in the play within a play, has the role of Thisbe, a role he artfully and hilariously struggles with (along with the aforementioned balloons), much to the delight of the audience.

All in all, CFS’s “Dream” is a wonderful piece of theater, one that will appeal to all age groups. The cast members give the impression that they are having a ball as they weave the magic of Shakespeare’s tale, and their enthusiasm and enjoyment is infectious, so much so that you can’t but walk away from the evening with a large, satisfied grin on your face.

“A Midsummer Night’s Dream” plays through August 4 on the grounds of the Shakespeare Festival Theater in Stratford (how sad to see what’s become of that once marvelous venue), and then moves to the McLevy Green in Bridgeport for performances running from August 7 through August 11. Admission is free but donations are accepted.

For more information go to www.ctfreeshakespeare.org.

"Grease" Rocks the House (or Tent)

"Grease" -- Summer Theatre of New Canaan -- Thru Aug. 11

                                                        The cast of "Grease"

Looking for something to do of a summer evening? Well, you might want to consider taking the whole family over to Waveny Park in New Canaan for an evening of rock-and-roll as served up by Summer Theatre of New Canaan’s production of the classic “Grease.” You might even have the opportunity to show your stuff with a hula hoop (for those of you who don’t know what a hula hoop is, simply understand that your elders were once as crazy as you are), or dance with the cast onstage. In essence, this “Grease” is a bright, breezy trip down Memory Lane that has been crafted by director Melody Meltrott Libonati to please just about every age group.

“Grease,” set in the 1950s at Rydell High School, opened on Broadway in 1971 and held the record for most performances until “A Chorus Line” came along several years later. The basic plot deals with the summer romance between Sandy Dumbrowski (Sharon Malane) and Danny Zuko (Christian Libonati) that founders on the rocks of a new school year and the roles the students are forced to play as members of various cliques within the school. Swirling around their on- and off-again relationship are such themes as gang violence, teen pregnancy and the ubiquitous teen angst and rebellion, but at STONC the harsher elements inherent in the original version have been, if not sanitized, at least toned down a bit. Though there’s still a touch of raunch, certainly not enough to bother the many “tweens’ who were in the audience the night I attended.

Setting the tone for the evening, before the  curtain Vince Fontaine (Jason Law), the oleaginous local dejay, entertains with patter and the aforementioned hula hoop contest, and then it’s off to the Rydell class reunion, which is almost immediately parodied as we go back in time and the Pink Ladies and Burger Palace boys introduce themselves, letting everyone know exactly how they feel about good old Rydell.

From that point on, you just hold on as director Libonati puts the talented cast members through their paces, performing with brio such numbers as “Summer Nights,” “Greased Lightnin’,” “We Go Together,” and the over-the-top “Born to Hand Jive.”  Choreographer Doug Chapman has done a fine job with this young cast, utilizing whatever room there is on the relatively restricted stage to full effect as the well-drilled cast shucks and jives.

As effective as the “big’ numbers are, it’s the softer ballads that seem to stand out the most. This is especially so for Malane’s “It’s Raining on Prom Night,” a heartfelt teen lament, and Cristina Farruggia as Rizzo is saucy and sarcastic as she delivers “Look at Me, I’m Sandra Dee” and absolutely nails “There Are Worse Things I Could Do” – in fact, it’s the stand-out number of the evening. Running a close second is Adam Hill’s version of “Beauty School Dorpout,” as Teen Angel counsels Frenchy (Sarah Mullis) to give up her dreams about becoming a hair stylist.

The main focus, of course, is on the budding romance between Sandy and Danny, and Malane and Christian Libonati work up a nice chemistry as they find their way to true romance. Libonati’s Danny preens and cock-walks when appropriate, then turns affectionately boyish when alone with Sandy, save for his aborted attempt at making out at the drive-in, when Sandy unintentionally punishes him for his raging hormones.

The audience-embracing feel that director Libonati has created extends beyond the reprise of “We Go Together,” as the cast members come down into the audience and invite both young and old to join them back up on the stage for an impromptu high school hop. All in all, a great way to spend a soft summer evening.

“Grease” runs through Aug. 11. For tickets or more information call 203-966-4634 or go to www.stonc.org

"Dolly" a Delight

"Hello, Dolly!" -- Goodspeed Opera House -- Extended thru Sept.14

      Klea Blackhurst and the cast of "Hello, Dolly!" Photo by Diane Sobolewski

Goodspeed Opera House is known internationally for its ability to produce “big” shows in a relatively confined space, and this skill is manifest in its current production of “Hello, Dolly!” a rollicking, fast-paced presentation of one of America’s classic musical comedies. As my play-going partner put it after seeing the show on Saturday, “The audience walked out of ‘Hello, Dolly!’ with a skip in their step.”

Much of that “skip” is there because director Daniel Goldstein is obviously intent on “working” the audience whenever he can, hence, in the opening number, Dolly Gallagher Levi (Klea Blackhurst) makes her first appearance not on stage but in one of the aisles, handing out business cards. The space is also used late in the first act to make the “Parade Passes By” number seem bigger than it really is.

“Bigger than it really is” might be the operative phrase for the entire production, for, along with Goldstein, scenic designer Adrian W. Jones, lighting designer Jason Lyons and choreographer Kelli Barclay have accepted the stage’s limitations and done everything possible to overcome them.

                                    Ashley Brown. Photo by Diane Sobolewski

One of the biggest challenges in producing “Hello, Dolly!” is the “Put on Your Sunday Clothes” number, which starts in a feed and grain store in Yonkers and ends up, via a train ride, in New York City. As the number began, I was wondering just how they were going to pull it off. Well, I needn’t have worried, for Jones turns the store’s shelving into railroad car seats, Lyons gives us running lights projected onto a rear scrim and Barclay has the cast members swaying and bouncing. In essence, it works beautifully.

Then there’s the “Waiters’ Galop” number, which is a lead-in to the show’s signature “Hello, Dolly,” when the meddling matchmaker makes her triumphant return to the Harmonia Gardens Restaurant. Again, the question arose in my mind – how are they going to give this number the “bigness” it requires? Once again, no worries. Using every foot of stage available and a stairway set stage center, Barclay works some magic, making you believe that the dancers are moving through space twice as large as they really are. Trays, food and dishes fly and napkins and aprons wave and flutter in a bravura sequence worthy of comparison to that of any of the show’s Broadway productions.

                      Tony Sheldon and Klea Blackhurst. Photo by Diane Sobolewski.

Goldstein, Jones and Barclay were also obviously committed to keeping this show moving, and it does. Scene changes take mere moments and the cast members seem to appear here, there and everywhere, often in different costumes, as if they have been transported, which means that backstage, where space is also limited, there has to be a feeling of controlled chaos.

As for the performances themselves, there’s little more you can ask for. Blackhurst creates a Dolly that’s all her own, yet with just than a touch of Merman and a pinch of Middler thrown in for good measure. That Dolly is as delightfully manipulative as she is owes a lot to the show’s Horace Vandergelder, Tony Sheldon (on his first appearance you quickly check your program to see if, perhaps, Goodspeed has somehow gotten Christopher Plummer to play the role). Sheldon is a master of the slow burn, the double-take and the startled shuffle, all of which he employs to great effect.

In support, there’s Ashley Brown as Irene Murphy, an actress who lights up the stage with her eyes and her smile, and Vandergelder’s two clerks, Spencer Moses as Cornelius Hackl and Jeremy Moss as Barnaby Tucker, who are both engagingly naïve.

However, the show is Blackhurst’s to own, and she does, no more so than in the lead-in to the courtroom scene when she is able to get extended laughs by disregarding all others on stage as she blithely devours an ear of corn…and then some dumplings. The moment is priceless.

Goodspeed’s “Hello, Dolly!” is the perfect show to make you forget about the oppressive heat and humidity. It’s light, frothy and a whole lot of fun.

“Hello, Dolly!” runs through Sept. 8. For tickets or more information call 860-873-8668 or go to www.goodspeed.org

Humor? Yes. Biting? No

"Loot" -- Westport Country Playhouse -- Thru Aug. 3

                    Liv Rooth, Zach Wegner, and Devin Norik in Joe Orton’s “Loot."                             Photo by Carol Rosegg 

By Geary Danihy

There will be mixed reactions to playwright Joe Orton’s “Loot,” which recently opened at the Westport Country Playhouse, as there were in its first and second iterations in London almost half a century ago. It was panned when it was first produced in 1965, Orton did substantial revisions, and it was praised the following year. Reasons for both the panning and the praising are evident in this production directed by David Kennedy, which is an amalgam of slapstick farce, black comedy, anti-Catholicism, thinly veiled social protest and less thinly veiled misogyny.

Orton’s penchant for black comedy led to the coining of “Ortonesque” to describe works of this ilk, but in “Loot” a more familiar term might also apply -- “Kafkaesque” – for as the play unfolds one can’t help but hear echoes of “The Trial” and “In the Penal Colony,” for behind the humor there is substantial existential angst born of the human need to make sense of what is, ultimately, senseless, that and  a great deal of suppressed anger.

It all starts with a coffin and the body inside, the wife of Mr. McLeavy (John Horton). Mr. McLeavy’s grief at the passing of his wife is quickly challenged by Fay (Liv Rooth), the young nurse hired to tend to the wife in her last days, for she suggests the cure for his grief is to marry quickly – and marry her. But there is more afoot, for McLeavy’s son, Hal (Devin Norik), along with Dennis (Zach Wagner), have just dug through the walls of the funeral parlor handling Mrs. McLeavy’s funeral to rob a bank. The money is now stashed in a wardrobe standing behind the casket in what is apparently the front parlor of the McLeavy home, but soon the mother’s body is in the wardrobe and the cash is in the coffin.

                Devin Norik, David Manis, and Liv Rooth. Photo by Carol Rosegg 

Orton’s real intent with all of this doesn’t come into clear focus until the appearance of Truscott (David Manis), who claims to be an inspector from the local Water Board but acts like a detective. Whatever his authority, he is a representative of the State, the mindless bureaucracy that creates conflicting regulations and operates outside of the confines of logic. Truscott’s method of “investigating” is to ask a series of non sequitur questions, create confusion, and then draw inane conclusions that have little to do with reality. And yet, he bears the power of the State – the power to have someone incarcerated for no reason, the power to have someone brutally interrogated -- in essence, the power to destroy lives.

                             John Horton and Liv Rooth. Photo by Carol Rosegg 

But that’s not all that’s going on here, for Orton is also sending up the clichés of mystery fiction: the deductive reasoning of a Sherlock Holmes; the “little detail” analysis of everyday minutia of a Miss Marple.

Does it work? Well, yes and no. There are some very humorous moments as Mrs. McLeavy’s body is carted about and Truscott bandies words with possible suspects of ill-defined crimes. In fact, much of the humor involves the simple shtick of “follow-the-bouncing-body.” Yet, since director Kennedy has opted to play it for laughs (allowing his actors occasionally to do some heavy emoting), rather than play it serious, or for real, and let the laughs come as they may, you get the feeling that this production is trying too hard to be too many things to too many people.

And then there is the misogyny. There are two women in the play – one fully seen and the other seen in only body parts. The one fully seen, Fay, has had seven husbands in 10 years, all of them dying under suspicious circumstances. She is basically a succubus, a Lilith, i.e., a female demon. The other woman – the deceased Mrs. McLeavy – has her body tossed about like a bag of Fritos at a frat party, and although her husband is supposed to be grieving over her demise, he bursts out at one point that even from the grave her viperfish tongue is doing him harm, and then there’s a line Truscott delivers late in the second act about women and intelligence that evoked more groans than laughter from the audience.

There are those who have suggested that comedy is nothing more than pain wrapped up with a bright red bow. There are a lot of “funny” lines and smile-inducing moments in “Loot,” but lurking beneath is pain, and it’s the pain that this production hasn’t confronted. Everyone seems to be playing it for laughs, but Orton dealt with the abyss that lurks beneath the laughter, and it’s the abyss that’s missing, the tender terror the playwright was trying to express that is not captured.

When something strikes us as really funny, when we roll back and roar, tears come to our eyes. Those tears speak to the essence of humor. You slip on a banana peel and it’s funny, until you have to go through physical therapy. This production of “Loot” goes for the laughs and misses the tears…and the depth of Orton’s anger, frustration, fears and hang-ups.

“Loot” runs through August 3. For tickets or more information call 203-227-4177 or go to www.westportplayhouse.org