Playwright Paul Slade Smiths Unnecessary Farce is a comedy about... forget it, details of the plot are unnecessary. This raucous ride at North Coast Rep is about gags: slamming doors, jumping to conclusions, cartoonish pratfalls and various cast members in their underwear. Ridiculousness reigns.
If Unnecessary Farce brings to mind the Solana Beach theaters memorable 2011 production of Ken Ludwigs Lend Me a Tenor, there are reasons for it. Matthew Wiener directed both, allowing his casts to go comically berserk. And the ensembles of both comedies featured, among others, Christopher M. Williams, Jacque Wilke, Jessica John and Ted Barton. While Unnecessary Farce, loosely having to do with a police stakeout in adjoining hotel rooms, registers a few decibels below Lend Me a Tenor on the laugh meter, it does showcase these fearlessly funny actors at their slapstick best. Wilke leads the way as a hapless cop with a squirt gun in her holster, with the vivacious John bringing to mind Natalie Wood in her deft comic turns. Most farcical of all, though, is David McBean as a bagpipe-toting Scottish hitman with a brogue to die for.
Unnecessary Farce runs through May 10 at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. $41-$48. northcoastrep.org
Speaking of the North Coast Rep, it was only six months ago that the theater staged Mark St. Germains Freuds Last Session, about a fictional meeting between Sigmund Freud and author C.S. Lewis. Apparently in the case of San Diego theatergoers, that wasnt Freuds last session after all. The play is back already, this time at Lambs Players Theatre in Coronado, with Lambs artistic director Robert Smyth as Freud and Fran Gercke playing Lewis. So riveting is this dialogue between two intellectual giants as they debate life, death, sex and the existence of God that experiencing it so soon again was no chore. For those who have never seen Freuds Last Session, you have a thoughtprovoking 85 minutes in store. Smyth and Gercke are in complete command on Brian Prathers comfortable set, and the specter of Britains entry into World War II looms ominously over the proceedings. Smyths makeup even has him looking like the father of psychoanalysis.
Freuds Last Session runs through May 30 at Lambs Players Theatre in Coronado. $22-$72; lambsplayers.org
Write to davidc@sdcitybeat.com.
Opening
The Normal Heart: Playwright Larry Kramers moving play about the rise of HIV/AIDS in 80s New York. Opens Thursday, April 23, at MiraCosta College Theatre in Oceanside. hub.miracosta.edu
PLACAS: The Most Dangerous Tattoo: The story of a former gang member who is trying to escape his past and reunite with his family. Written by Chula Vista native Paul Flores, it opens Thursday, April 23, for three performances at the Lincoln High School Performing Arts Center in Lincoln Park. placas.org
The Silence of the Clams: Its like Silence of the Lambs, but its Diversionary Cabaret so its way more funny and way more fabulous. Opens Thursday, April 23, at Diversionary Theatre in Hillcrest. diversionary.org
Big Fish: A musical based on the novel by Daniel Wallace and the motion picture by Tim Burton about a southern salesman who spins tall tales to his son throughout his life. Opens Friday, April 24, at Coronado School of the Arts. cosasandiego.com
The Great American Trailer Park Musical: A musical comedy about the colorful characters that inhabit Floridas most exclusive trailer park, Armadillo Acres. Presented by the SDSU School of Theatre, it opens Friday, April 24, at the Don Powell Theatre. ttf.sdsu.edu
Peter Pan: A family-friendly musical about the boy that never grows up and the pirate captain that has it in for him. Presented by Broadway Theatre Arts Academy, it opens for four performances on Saturday, April 25, at the California Center for the Arts in Escondido. artcenter.org
Sueno: A staged reading of Jose Riveras adaptation of the 17th-century existential classic, Life is a Dream. Presented by Intrepid Theatre Company, it happens on Monday, April 27, at 7 p.m. at the Encinitas Library. interpidtheatre.org
Now Playing
My Fair Lady: A man attempts to turn a rough-around-the-edges girl into something more sophisticated—and then develops the hots for her. Presented by Cygnet Theatre, it runs through April 26 at the Old Town Theatre. cygnettheatre.com
The 39 Steps: Written by Alfred Hitchcock, the two-time Tony Award winner mixes romance and comedy with the suspense of a spy thriller. Through April 26 at the Welk Resorts Theater in Escondido. welkresorts.com
The White Snake: A play based on a Chinese fable about a snake that turns into a woman, falls in love and runs afoul of a mean ol monk. Through April 26 at The Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. theoldglobe.org
The Pirates of Penzance: Nine actors stranded on a desert island perform Gilbert and Sullivans classic comic opera. Through April 29 at the Broadway Theatre in Vista. broadwayvista.com
The Balcony: Originally written by French political activist Jean Genet, this play tells the story of a dystopian society where people are controlled by corporations. Presented by Chronos Theatre Group, it runs through May 3 at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center in Downtown. chronostheatre.com
Boeing Boeing: In this comical farce by Marc Camoletti, a scheming bachelor finds himself engaged to three different flight attendants only to find one day theyre all scheduled to arrive at his apartment at the same time. Through May 3 at Coronado Playhouse. coronadoplayhouse.com
Buyer & Cellar: A hit off-Broadway comedy about an unemployed actor who becomes Barbara Streisands personal shopkeeper. It runs through May 3 at The Old Globe Theatre in Balboa Park. theoldglobe.org
The Hallelujah Girls: The aging ladies of a small Southern town band together to improve their lives after losing a friend. Through May 3 at the Lamplighters Community Theatre in La Mesa. lamplighterslamesa.com
Lord of the Flies: A group of young boys regress into warring savages when their plan crash-lands on a deserted island. Adapted for the stage by Nigel Williams, it runs through May 3 at New Village Arts Theatre in Carlsbad. newvillagearts.org
Parallel Lives: Two women play 40 different characters in this sketch-style satire. Presented by Talent to aMuse Theatre Company, it runs through May 3 at the Tenth Avenue Arts Center Forum Theatre in Downtown. talenttoamuse.com
Les Misérables: The musical story of an ex-convict trying to outrun his past against the backdrop of 19th Century France. Presented by Star Repertory Theatre, it runs through May 10 at The AVO Playhouse in Vista. starrepertorytheatre.com
Uncanny Valley: Set 40 years in the future, this world premiere play centers on a neuroscientist working to give humans immortality by downloading their thoughts and memories into an A.I. being. Through May 10 at Lyceum Space at Horton Plaza in Downtown. sdrep.org
Unnecessary Farce: A comical tale of an embezzling mayor trying to outrun his accountant, the law, and a couple of hitmen. Through May 10 at North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach. northcoastrep.org
Freuds Last Session: A fictional meeting between renowned psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud and novelist C.S. Lewis results in a lively discussion about love, war, sex and everything in between. Through May 17 at Lambs Players Theatre in Coronado. lambsplayers.org
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: In a musical based on a biblical tale, a dude who has an amazing garment becomes a slave, but he triumphs in Egypt regardless. Presented by Lambs Players Theatre, it runs through May 31 at the Horton Grand Theatre, Downtown. lambsplayers.org
