“The Underpants”

City Theatre

Directed by Tracy Brigden

Through June 12

Starring: Martin… “The Underpants”

City Theatre

Directed by Tracy Brigden

Through June 12

Starring: Martin Giles, Elena Passarello,

Sheila McKenna, Darren Eliker, Tim Hartman, Joe Schulz

(412) 431-CITY

Student Tickets $15

Picture it: March, 1910, in Dusseldorf, Germany. Standing along a crowded street you watch with excitement as the parade marches by. Wanting to get a good look at the king, you stand on a bench, raising yourself up on your tiptoes. Just as His Royal Highness passes by, your underpants fall down. Quickly and discreetly you slide them back up. The whole affair lasts two seconds, but the end result will be 15 minutes of fame.

This is the situation in which Louise (Elena Passarello) finds herself at the beginning of “The Underpants,” Steve Martin’s adaptation of the German play by Carl Sternheim. Louise’s uptight and rigid husband, Theo (Martin Giles), who works as a clerk for the king, sees this situation as a potential disaster for his career and their reputation. While she rationalizes that she pulled her underpants up, Theo sternly lectures that his attractive wife “doesn’t understand the power of a glimpse of lingerie.”

If Louise doesn’t, her naughty upstairs neighbor Gertrude (Sheila McKenna) certainly does. As Louise finds herself with an influx of boarders who want to rent a room from the underpants lady, Gertrude encourages Louise to take a lover. “You deserve something in you at night besides sauerkraut,” she says with devilish certainty. As the play continues, complex situations arise as Versati (Darren Eliker), the suave and proudly unpublished poet, makes a play for Louise.

However, his intentions are discovered by his fellow boarder, the nervous Cohen (Joe Schulz), a Jewish barber who must hide his religious affiliation. Martin makes much of Cohen’s situation, as the barber assures Theo that his last name is spelled with a “K” and there is an amusing moment when Cohen must recall a passage from the New Testament, which he cites from the Book of St. Louis.

Martin’s script makes use of obvious comedy, which has the potential to feel manufactured or stale. For example, when a visit from the king throws the group into hysterics, they rush around the parlor room to zany music in classic farcical style. But Martin avoids the contrived through clever witticisms and wicked one-liners. Though the play purports to be dealing with people’s obsession with fame, Martin’s ultimate theme seems to be “make ’em laugh.” He even works himself into the plot when Gertrude has just seen a Sternheim play, but tells Louise to wait for the adaptation.

The actors are superb in their respective roles. They take their characters over the top and one really can’t imagine them played any other way. They work well together to create a solid ensemble cast that feeds on the script’s sharp comedy. McKenna is particularly droll in her delivery, and Eliker’s flamboyantly poetic ramblings are made all the more humorous by the sight of him in cape and beret.

Overall, “The Underpants” is a delightful farce that is sharp and funny. A strong cast keeps the energy high and the comedy moving. But as you chuckle at the naughty zingers and shake with laughter at the ridiculous situations, make sure your knickers are securely fastened — unless you’re looking for your own 15 minutes in the spotlight.