« It’s an ensemble cast, » he said. « Although it’s about Louise’s underpants, all the roles are necessary. »
On a Sunday morning, a woman’s underpants simply fall clean off of her and down to the ground. What follows is shock among her fellow townspeople, and laughter among theatergoers as they watch the zany action unfurl.
This implausible, but no doubt hilariously funny premise is the foundation of « The Underpants, » the comedy penned by funny man Steven Martin and staged in Covington at Playmakers Theatre Sept. 1-17.
Based on an original Broadway play penned by Carl Sternheim in 1910, Martin — best known for his stand-up and comedic work on everything from Saturday Night Live to films such as « The Jerk » and « Parenthood » — updated the farce for a more modern sensibility.
The show is said to address some « real » topics, including the notion of « 15 minutes of fame. » According to Director Ladson Poole, however, he’s more interested in the light, pure comedy aspects the play brings to the stage.
« My job is to make you forget about the big and the little worries of the day, » Poole said. « At least for a couple of hours. »
Poole hesitated to mention specific principal actors he’ll be working with, and instead credited the entire cast as equally important.
« It’s an ensemble cast, » he said. « Although it’s about Louise’s underpants, all the roles are necessary. » He added that the cast contains « newbies » as well as veterans of the local stage.
Poole was recently seen on the Playmakers stage in « Red, » the Tony Award-winning drama staged last season. It was quite serious, and very much unlike what he’s working on now.
Poole said « Red » was « right up there with the heaviest stuff I’ve done. »
« I loved it simply because I’m supposed to entertain. However, comedies, I feel, are my specialty, » he said.
Not only that, but « you get the right people, which I think I have in this one, and they (comedy and drama) can both be a satisfying journey, » he added.
Poole said his penchant for funny stuff came from years of entertaining for laughs.
« I’ve been blessed to work with folks from Vaudeville, as well as hone my comedy with daily performances of a cowboy shootout at Eight Flags back in the early ’80s, » he said.
« Over 35 years in the biz and over 2,000 performances of all kinds and here I am at Playmakers, sharing things I’ve picked up along the way, » he said.
Steve Martin’s « The Underpants » will be performed on weekends Sept. 1 through 17 at Playmakers Theater, 19106 Playmakers Road, Covington. For more information on showtimes and purchase of tickets, visit the website at Playmakersinc.com or call 985.892.9767.
Entertainment contributor Kara Bachman may be reached at kara@KaraMartinezBachman.com or via Facebook.com/BachmanWrites. She welcomes your news tips and story ideas.
