Review: Sexually charged classic is a crowd pleaser

As a cast of seven ran through their last dress rehearsal Wednesday night, Steve Martins adaptation of “The Underpants”, directed by student Dylan Gardner, provided laughter as a witty, salacious, yet delightful comedy.

The play opens with an enraged Theo Maske (played by Alex Giorgi) and his flustered wife, Louise Maske (played by Sydney Hope), who enter their home in an argument about Louise’s underpants falling down at a parade.

The play’s backdrop, a German living room-kitchen combination in the early 1900s is well portrayed with suitable costumes and appropriate props such as black and white pictures and rustic house appliances.

The first impression of both characters stays true to what is presented throughout the rest of the play. Theo is egotistical, arrogant, and naïve, while Louise is also naïve in addition to being apprehensive and anxious. Giorgi and Hope does a notable job of keeping in character for the remainder of the play without overwhelming the audience.

As the play progresses, desire and determination became more intense as the laughter carries on. Frank Versati (played by Stephen Howland) and Benjamin Cohen (played by Matthew Rivera) are men who start to fancy Louise after witnessing her incident at the parade and who are both renting rooms from her and Theo.

Both do a memorable job in their role, yet some scenes are a bit awkward. For example, when confessing their feelings for Louise, there is a lack of intimacy that appears to be necessary in moments like those.

Likewise, there were a few slip-ups of lines, as well as some lines that were rushed.

There were a couple counts of props were handled sloppily, but improvising seems to be a strong aspect in the cast and kept characters believable.

Being quite a dirty play, sexual references are made by every character, humor is easy to find in even the most awkward personalities. When delivering these lines, confidence was clear in the cast, making those moments the most enjoyable to watch.

Gertrude (played by Missy Paulson) is a constant attention grabber. Every time she enters a scene, a dirty comment is right around the corner. But because it is carried out so nonchalantly and creates a clever awe-moment each time, it isn’t overwhelming.

Overall, the humor in “The Underpants” proves to be relevant to modern times, remember sex sells. Moreover, the cast proves to be a well qualified for a classic cunning and erotic comedy that will have the audience leaning forward in hysterics.

Catch the cast tonight through Sunday, May 12 at 7:30 pm in the Studio Theater. Tickets are $5 for students and seniors and $10 for adults at the door.

Advocate Staff