Farce: A type of comedy using improbable situations, physical humor, and silliness to entertain.
Playwright Michael Parker takes his play “The Amorous Ambassador” a step beyond this definition with encounters that border the impossible, yet in the end, delivers a play that turns out to be a fun show in the Ovation Series at the Ocala Civic Theatre.
Harry Douglas (Jeff Cole), the newly appointed American Ambassador to Great Britain, announces that he has scheduled a trip Scotland. Wife Lois (Rosalee Stein) and daughter Debbie (Emma McDonell) announce expeditions of their own. Butler, Perkins (Jason Amos) pledges “discretion” as each is planning to use the Embassy country retreat for their personal trysts. Midway into the escapades the home is ”sealed off” when paranoid Marine Captain (Kevin Molduene) announces an apparent bomb threat. He brings the ambassador’s ditzy secretary (Sarah Vane) to keep communications with the State Department open. Even the uptight Perkins succumbs to the ensuing horseplay.
The veteran Cole is a master of movements and leads all the action. He needs little encouragement to expound on the ambassador’s testosterone rampages.
Timing and cue pickup is good. Blocking is made easy by using the set of “Tom, Dick, and Harry” currently playing evenings. Others in the cast are Kim Wise and Johnny Williams. Note that Stein in her cameo role misses a chance at stardom by not taking her tirade on her daughter’s morals to a higher level.
British accent is imperceptible and the expected “sec-re-tree” is never used. Sound is perfect with personal microphones on all the actors.
Costuming is good, except that Cole with a loin cloth over his underwear is puzzling.
Director Andrew Crusse did his homework on this very popular farce. Crusse, who makes his debut at OCT, is also an Adjunct Professor of Theatre at the College of Central Florida, Ocala Campus.
For over-the-top entertainment keep “Amorous Ambassador” on your list. Remaining performances are Monday, April 6, 8 p.m.; Thursday, April 9 and Friday, April 10, 2 p.m. For other information visit www.ocalacivictheatre.com.
Villager Jack Petro reviews local theater for Villages-News.com