The pants-dropping comedy “The Underpants,” adapted by funnyman Steve Martin, is delightfully sexual and deliciously politically incorrect.
Lydia Mackay plays Louise Maske, “just a little housewife,” to her finger-wagging husband, Theo, played by Clay Bunker. Louise is daydreaming during the king’s parade in the park when her underpants suddenly fall to her dainty little ankles.
Thinking no one sees, she scoops them up and continues watching the parade with embarrassment.
Later that day, the spare room for rent in the Maske’s home miraculously becomes a hot item by a couple of men who witnessed Louise’s little escapade and want to court her.
Kevin Robert Kiler stole the show as the elegant gentleman Frank Versati, with his outrageous accent and poetic charm. Versati, along with Benjamin Cohen, played by Dan J. Gordon, vie for Louise’s affection.
The Maske’s nosy, boisterous neighbor Gertrude, played flawlessly by Ariel Woodiwiss, encourages Louise to have an affair with Versati. Louise transforms from an innocent young frau to sly vixen in only an hour and a half, with no time for an intermission.
The sexual innuendos never go without comment or recognition, including the inappropriate groping and orgasmic outbursts that take place between Louise and Versati.
One scene that cannot go without mention is when Louise is acrobatically aroused by Versati’s zealous prose – it is worth the $6 student admission. The play kept the audience in peals of laughter, both in the funny moments and the uncomfortable sexual ones.
The characters are based off of stereotypes, and good ones at that. Theo, the boasting, boring and humorless German husband, brags about his mediocre job as an assistant government clerk and his “thick thighs” whenever the opportunity arises. Benjamin “Cohen with a K” is the Jewish man who unconvincingly tells Theo that he is a German, not a Jew.
Versati the poet sweeps Louise off her feet with his extravagant speech and flattery, though it turns out he is in love with only himself in the end.
The play, directed by David Denson, is set in 1910 at the Maske home in Dusseldorf, Germany. Originally written by Carl Berstein, Martin adapted the ending to have less of a question of Louise’s fate. Martin also added some of his humorous flair to the dialogue, which made for an excellent product. This farce comedy is definitely worth seeing – you will leave the theater with a smile on your face.
“The Underpants” is showing from Feb. 23-26 and March 2-5 in the Greer Garson Theater of the Meadows building. Showtimes are at 8 p.m. weekdays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. Student admission is $6, and tickets can be purchased at the box office.
