Listen & Be Heard Weekly Archives

As Dreamweavers Theatre approaches 20 years of producing community theatre in the Napa Valley, the company has decided to have a few laughs. Its current production, Lie, Cheat and Genuflect is a farce from the repertoire of playwriting duo Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore who also penned Love, Sex and the IRS and Having a Wonderful Time, Wish You Were Her.

Lie, Cheat and Genuflect follows the Buckle brothers, Billy (Daryl Roberts) and Tom (Christian King), who are definitely the black sheep of the family. They won?t inherit a nickel of their late grandfather?s estate, so they?ll have to get creative in order to pay back loan shark Pizza Face Petrillo (Gabe Frey). The brothers? drastic plans involve a dash of kidnapping, a skosh of fraud, and a healthy dose of impersonating a nun. Along the way, they?ll have to fool a young attorney (Adrian Atman), a lustful, booze-swilling housekeeper (Krisi Pilkington), and a trio of lovely ladies, any one of whom could be the rightful heir (Tina Luisen, Sharon Winderlich, and Therese Abalo).

The show has all the elements for good old-fashioned farce, but it is two of the most over-the-top performances that really pay off. Roberts? Billy Buckle is a charmer in his own garb and is a warmly wacky scene-stealer once he dons the nun?s habit. As the housekeeper, Pilkington scores the biggest laughs of the show, staggering from bottle to bottle and man to man. Her agile physical humor and comic delivery shine. The rest of the cast is likeable if low-key, though Luisen adds spark with exaggerated mugging.

The cast has greater potential than is actually realized as does the script. It?s at the helm of the show where things appear to have gotten off track. Director Erin Lindke?s casting choices require extra suspension of disbelief, particularly where age differences occur. Additionally, while some performances are appropriately heightened for comedic effect, others are naturalistic; the resulting incongruity is jarring. One of the most glaring inconsistencies comes as one of the brothers utilizes a dialect of the boroughs of New York, while the other does not. Lindke is adept at choreographing comedic bits as well as the multiple entrances and exits required, but the erratic details distract from the madcap and marvelous world of the play.

The uncredited set design is fine for the needs of the show, and much the same can be said of Joe Adams? lighting design. However, Adams misfires with one cue that elicits a gasp from the audience when transitioning from a blue-lit ?in the dark? scene to general room lighting. The sound design by Ed Fevang consists solely of pre-show music. Selections to cover the set changes and to transition from the first act to intermission would help tremendously.

Lie, Cheat and Genuflect is not as fool-proof a farce as Michael Frayn?s Noises Off, but it is a lot of fun. Dreamweavers Theatre?s production has the potential to be hilarious but only makes it to mildly entertaining. For tickets to performances through May 6, call (707) 255-5483 or go to www.dreamweaverstheatre.org.

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