Irresistible Farce

I was going to start out this blog by saying something like "rarely in Denver does one see such a well-constructed farce like Spotlight Theatre Company's Run For Your Wife," but that did not ring true. This is a great city for theatre of all types, and there are plenty of performers and directors here that can deftly navigate the domain of a mad-cap, laugh-a-minute comedy with great skill and timing. We are fortunate to have such talent in our town, and, thankfully, great performances are hardly a rarity.
Instead it might be more accurate to say: in the tradition of great Denver theatre, Spotlight has provided a masterful and side-splitting comedy in Run For Your Wife. (Yeah, I like that better.)
Director (and Spotlight founder) Pat Payne demonstrates his facilty and affection for this work by British playwright Ray Cooney with the help of the incredibly talented cast of Bernie Cardell, Haley Johnson, Bonnie Greene, Clint Heyn, Dan Connell, John W.B. Greene, Charles Hettinger, and Dyarl Alexander.
Tonight's sold-out crowd very nearly brought the house down with laughter, and after the final curtain, I saw many who staggered from the theatre exhausted from laughter and overcome with elation.
Bernie is brilliant as mild-mannered polygamist John Smith, and his chemistry with Clint Heyn as his unwitting and frequently unwilling accomplice Stanley is the stuff of magic. Bonnie Greene is superb as the clueless and much put-upon wife #1, and Haley Johnson mixes sex-kitten sultriness with straight-man timing as equally clueless wife #2.
Along with the rest of the gifted ensemble, this play will take your breath away several times throughout the evening . . . from laughing.
See it with a friend.
This, by the way, would be an excellent show to introduce an uninitiated friend or co-worker to the world of theatre, and they'll likely thank you for it.
Run For Your Wife plays now through June 30 at the E-Project's E-vent Center at 9797 W. Colfax, which E-Project board member Dave Johnson assured me is fully wheelchair accessible (though it does help if you can let them know ahead of time.)
The show runs Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and Sundays at 6:30. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. Tickets and more info can be obtained by calling 720-250-8220.
Run For Your Wife will be succeeded by its sequel, Caught In The Net, also at the E-vent Center July 14th through August 4th, with the majority of the cast reprising their roles.
I already bought my ticket.
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