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Edited and Published by Robert W. McDowell

January 26, 2023 Issue
PART 2 (January 21, 2022)

A FREE Weekly E-mail Newsletter Covering Theater, Dance, Music, and Film in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill/Carrboro Area of North Carolina Since April 2001.

PART 2A: TRIANGLE THEATER REVIEW BY ROBERT O'CONNELL

Paul Slade Smith's Delightful Unnecessary Farce
Delivers a Couple of Hours of Nonstop Laughter

We are all in need of some laughter these days, and I had a bellyful last night at the Temple Theatre of Sanford. Unnecessary Farce, a laugh-a-minute comedy by Paul Slade Smith, was a master class in comic timing and execution. Deftly directed by Craig Rhyne, the show kept the audience in constant stitches.

The show is set in two rooms of a cheap motel, where two cops, three crooks, and a few others use eight different doors to create a madcap frenzy of activity. This is not the wit of Noël Coward. Instead, it is a frenetic mix of confusion and sight gags. The cops (played by Patrick Holt as Eric Sheridan and Sydney Pope as Billy Dwyer), are neither confident nor particularly competent. They are setting up a sting in the adjoining room for a meeting between an Accountant who is helping the police (portrayed by Arya Scarlet as Karen Brown) and a possibly corrupt politician (played by Gavan Pamer as Mayor Meekly).


The Temple Theatre of Sanford's Jan. 19-Feb. 5 production of Paul Slade Smith's Unnecessary Farce stars (from left) Gus Allen
as Agent Frank, Gavan Pamer as Mayor Meekly, and Patrick Holt as Officer Eric Sheridan (photo by Ravenne Pantoja)

Gus Allen as Agent Frank, Stephen N. Moore as Todd, and Peggy Taphorn as Mary Meekly round out the cast as participants in the farce. Even though the audience can see many of the bits coming, the cast does such a fine job of executing the physical comedy that the audience finds itself laughing out loud at every delivery.

David Griffie's set suits the physical comedy perfectly, and Peggy Taphorn's costumes add to the fun whether it is calf-garters on the men, novelty underwear, or an accountant's blouse that comes on and off with ease and regularity.


Steve Moore stars as Todd, the Highland Hitman, in Unnecessary Farce (photo by Ravenne Pantoja)

I also was fortunate to see the usual opening night treat at Temple Theatre, a preshow performance by the Temple Teen Ensemble, a large group of extremely talented singers and dancers from the Temple Academy. These youngsters warmed up the crowd with about 30 minutes worth of songs, with many previewing upcoming Temple Theatre shows.


The Temple Theatre of Sanford cast for Paul Slade Smith's Unnecessary Farce, directed by Craig Rhyne, includes Sydney
Pope (left) and Patrick Holt as Officers Billie Dwyer and Eric Sheridan (photo by Heather Garrity Photography)

As usual, I must remind you that this (and the other Temple shows) are a great value for the whole family. They are less expensive than most of the shows in the Triangle, and the venue is among the nicest and most comfortable. Sanford is less than an hour from nearly anywhere in the Triangle.

I typically encourage families to see these shows together, but this one is mildly bawdy and I'd say 10-12 years old is about as young as I recommend. As at most of the theatrical venues in the universe, the average age of the audience was probably over 60. We need to get young people in to see these shows. This would provide a great opportunity to share a type of comedy with your kids and give you something to talk with them about. For the price of the next two super-hero movies, you can give them a much richer experience.


Arya Scarlet and Gus Allen star as Karen Brown and Agent Frank (photo by Ravenne Pantoja)

Paul Slade Smith's UNNECESSARY FARCE (In Person at 2 p.m. Thursday, 7:30 p.m. Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 21, 22, 26-29 and Feb. 2-5), directed by Craig Rhyne and starring Patrick Holt as Eric Sheridan, Sydney Pope as Billy Dwyer, Arya Scarlet as Karen Brown, Gavan Pamer as Mayor Meekly, Gus Allen as Agent Frank, Stephen N. Moore as Todd, and Peggy Taphorn as Mary Meekly (Temple Theatre of Sanford). VIDEOS: https://www.youtube.com/user/templetheatrenc. 2022-23 MAIN-STAGE SEASON: http://templeshows.com/#mainstage. THE PRESENTER/VENUE: http://templeshows.com/, https://www.facebook.com/TempleTheatreNC, https://www.instagram.com/TempleTheatreNC/, https://twitter.com/TempleTheatreNC/, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Theatre_(Sanford,_North_Carolina), and https://www.youtube.com/user/templetheatrenc. DIRECTIONS: http://templeshows.com/contact. COVID-19 GUIDELINES: http://templeshows.com/tickets/temple-theatre-covid-guidelines. UNNECESSARY FARCE: https://www.unnecessaryfarceplay.com/ and https://www.playscripts.com/play/1490. PAUL SLADE SMITH (Brooklyn, NY actor and playwright): http://www.paulsladesmith.com/, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/paul-slade-smith-499278, and https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13485468/. NOTE: All shows are wheelchair accessible, and there is a hearing-loop system is available for all devices with T-coil wireless receivers. TICKETS: $29 ($17 students and $27 active-duty military personnel and Lee County educators), plus taxes and fees, except $27 per person for groups of 10 or more. Click here to buy tickets. GROUP RATES (10+ tickets): http://templeshows.com/tickets#id-928. INFORMATION: 919-774-4155 or boxoffice@templeshows.org. PLEASE DONATE TO: Temple Theatre of Sanford.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Robert O'Connell is a playwright, and has had dozens of productions and awards throughout the world. He has a MS degree in Management Systems Analysis. A lifelong educator, O'Connell has also published three novels at http://www.flashmobthenovel.com/ and two humor anthologies from his blog, https://thesmartestguyiknow.wordpress.com/. He and his wife have settled in Cary, NC.

 


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