Photo by Ryan Loyd, RYLO Media Design
Perfection is a strong word—one not usually associated with silliness, mistaken identities, or slamming doors.
But if you define it as “an unsurpassable degree of accuracy or excellence” (thank you, Merriam-Webster), you can absolutely apply it to SLO REP’s current production, Unnecessary Farce, a miscellany of perfect timing and perfectly priceless performances.
The conductor of this twisty-turny medley of insanity is Lawrence Lesher, and his players include a versatile bunch who act as if they’ve been rehearsing this show for months, not mere weeks. Lesher has wound up his actors, given them many, many bits of business to work with, and let them loose.
Jason Winfield, Courtney Ekstrom, Tony Costa, and Ava Lovelace are models of accuracy and efficiency in the middle of the mayhem this comedy requires. Their flawless timing—opening and closing all of the set’s eight doors, rapidly and heartily delivering complicated dialogue, performing somersaults on cue—makes for a very enjoyable experience.
Add the delightful Peter Hadres, Eb Madson and Bonnie DeChant to the mix, and SLO REP has a hit on its hands.
More than once I overheard audience members expressing delight over a show whose plot is, well, really beside the point. Suffice it to say, even the props (including water pistols, donuts, handcuffs and bagpipe parts) get chuckles. The distraction of a good laugh (actually many, many laughs) during these stressful times is worth its weight in gold.
Indeed, audiences have responded so well to Unnecessary Farce that SLO REP has added two more shows in response to the demand. Don’t miss out on this—dare I say it?—perfectly necessary farce.