They DO write screwball comedies like they used to. Or at least Ken Ludwig does. Ludwig has established a reputation as a writer of first-rate retro-show biz farces (the book for the Gershwin musical "Crazy for You," "Lend Me a Tenor," "Moon Over Buffalo"). The Denver premiere of Ludwig's "Leading Ladies" at the Vintage Theatre plays like a by-the-book formula farce, with dozens and maybe even hundreds of laughs, but very little that is innovative or surprising.
Not that the old gags are bad. They're rib-tickling funny. The cast is outstanding, and Pat Payne's directing is superb. When the heat gets turned up, "Leading Ladies" elicits guffaws and roars of approval. But even with all the frenzied tomfoolery, I couldn't help but feel like we've all been taken down this merry path before.
Two long in-the-tooth bachelor actors (think Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Danny Kaye, Donald O'Connor, Bob Cummings, Tony Curtis, Jack Lemmon, Fred Astaire, Red Skelton, Milton Berle, Robin Williams or a host of others playing juvenile roles in their middle years and later) are scraping by performing a hack and clash mangling of Shakespeare scenes at Shriner's meetings. Their big break comes when the desperate duo dress up in drag and impersonate a couple of would-be heiresses, hoping to defraud the legitimate next of kin. Well, why not? They're broke, British and they have a trunk full of costumes and wigs.
Ingratiating themselves into the household, instigator lead man Clark (Andy Anderson) and reluctant sidekick Gable (Bernie Cardell) -- "Clark & Gable," get it? -- discover that the supposed deceased (Jan Cleveland) isn't, her daughter (Sarah Mae Johnson) is gorgeous, and the buxom girl next door (Allison Smith) is doubly so. Throw in a conniving clergyman (Dell Domnik), a quack doctor (Jesse Pearlman) and a jealous suitor (Luke Allen Terry), and there are plenty of opportunities for running around the furniture, slamming doors, mistaken identities and quick changes. There's even a mis-delivered love letter.
The two most interesting aspects of the script are how much Ludwig relies, almost to a fault, on Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," one of the most famous gender-bending drag comedies of all time, and the moment of discomfort when the ingenue confesses her love for Clark's FEMALE alter ego. This is supposed to be the 1950s, so it's shocking for a second, and then completely dropped.
There's less undressing than in British comedies of this ilk, but several characters frequently risk other kinds of exposure, whether it's having one's secret agenda found out, or one's true feelings discovered. There are so many complications to resolve, the show runs just a little long, despite its fast pacing. Funny how so much of comedy depends on people going to extreme measures to hide or avoid the truth.
"Leading Ladies" isn't "top drawer" farce, but it definitely earns its place in the (cross) dresser.
Vintage Theatre's production of "Leading Ladies" performs Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 2:30 p.m. through May 16. Vintage Theatre is located at 2119 E. 17th Avenue, Denver. Tickets are $23 at the door, $18 in advance. Call 303-839-1361 for information and reservations, or visit www.vintagetheatre.com.
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