UNDER MY SKIN
This is an interesting one at the Pasadena Playhouse, and as usual, I’m going to give you the yin and the yang of it, although it was more really fun than anything. Under My Skin, a gender-switching comedy, didn’t make me laugh for at least the first twenty minutes. But after that, it was yuks all the way!
I actually wound-up enjoying it, even though as my young pal said, it was a tad sophomoric. The preachy parts about the healthcare system, though totally correct, were written like it was a high school project. (My guest actually said “eighth grade,” while I was a bit more generous.)
Hal Linden. Photos by Jim Cox.
But, in general, I’m a fan of non-painful shows, and one that can make an audience laugh and think at the same time is all right by me. So, this is one I can safely recommend. [But you’d better hurry—this is a short run. (See info at bottom.)] Just give it a chance to develop. (And don’t bring kids! Or anyone you don’t want to watch even comic sex with!)
The opening night audience laughed the whole time. The biggest yuks-collector seemed to be Hal Linden, as the Jewish grandfather. He was spot-on. (Also, the audience consisted of a lot of his compadres; you can read all about it in my next Celeb Sightings column next week.)
The stand-out for me, though, was Tim Bagley, in multiple parts. I had never seen him on-stage, but when he had a recurring role on #$*! My Dad Says, I started laughing as soon as he showed-up. He’s just the perfect comic actor, and I wish he’d get his own sitcom already!!!
Tim Bagley, Matt Walton, and Megan Sikora.
The rest of the cast was also pretty good, except that the two main girls, Erin Cardillo and Megan Sikora, had the most annoying fake Brooklyn accents. (I know it was supposed to be Staten Island, but it’s all the same thing; trust this New Yorker on that topic!) I don’t know if the fault was theirs or that of the director, but not only were the dialects horrible and wrong, there was no reason for them! The action took place in New York, but no other actors spoke like that! I think it was an ill-placed attempt to show us these women were lower-or-working-class, but that was just kind-of rude. I’m from that neck of the woods, and you can’t tell who has what employment position from the way they talk. The lawyers and doctors I know are actually the worst speech offenders there, while many “underlings” speak just fine. In the case of the play, Erin’s grating, awful accent just took away from the humor she was trying to accomplish. (I think that’s actually the reason I didn’t laugh for the first quarter of the show; I was too busy trying to tune-out that irritating noise.)
Matt Walton and Erin Cardillo.
But the acting, otherwise, was fine. Matt Walton as the male turned female was actually pretty good. His “handsome man” looks belied that fact that he could do funny quite well.
The premise took me a few minutes to get used to, once they got to it; it, understandably, took several minutes, and three scenes, to set-up. They made quick, clever use of a mirror to let us know what was going on, and I really appreciated that subtle hint.
The star, to me, though, was the sets! They were just perfect, in every way! I can’t laud designer John Iacovelli enough. If I had a show to produce, this is the guy I’d hope to get for the set, which sets the tone for the entire show, I always feel.
[Note: One thing you need to be aware of when you see this show is that the program says there’s no intermission. So, when the lights came up at what seemed like an inappropriate ending, the opening night audience reacted like something had gone wrong. Then the intermission announcement came on. So, don’t get fooled by what it says in the program and rush to the rest room right before the curtain, like yours truly did!]
[One more interesting program note: I always tell people to read the programs; there are interesting facts to be found there. This one was especially eye-opening for me; my pals, (especially Mr. X, who knows it,) always accuse me of watching more TV than anyone. But, when I saw this cast’s very many television credits, I had seen only one show ever! Out of about fifty mentioned! There’s no value judgement on this one; it’s just a weird fact.]
Under My Skin running through October 7, 2012
Pasadena Playhouse 39 South El Molino Ave. Pasadena 626-356-7529 www.PasadenaPlayhouse.org
