Suddenly London playwright and farce master Ray Cooney is rediscovered and playing at both Patio and PowPAC. Patio's It Runs in the Family was reviewed two weeks ago, and now we have the equally humorous Caught in the Net, which is the sequel to his Run For Your Wife. Be prepared for two hours of almost constant laughter. This is farce at its very best as the cast delivers Mr. Cooney's lines with almost perfect timing.
The paper-thin plot revolves around John Smith (Jeff Laurence) of Wimbledon and his lovely wife, Mary (Kelly Lapczynski) and daughter, Vicki (Marisa Parry) and his other home in Streatham and his lovely wife, Barbara (J. Darling) and son, Gavin (Alex Saenz and Brent Lowrey). Saenz and Lowrey are sharing the role. Saenz had the role the first two weeks of the run, while Lowrey plays May 11th thru the 20th.
Days are spent in Wimbledon and evenings in Streatham. John also has time to drive a taxi on the streets of London. Thus, Mr. Smith is quite active balancing his duties with both wives and children. With the advent of the internet, Vicki and Gavin, both 16 years old, meet and begin an email correspondence. They decide to meet in person. And, as they say, the action begins.
The stage includes seven doors, a stairwell and a hallway, all of which are quickly used. There is no definition as to where one apartment begins. The same doors go to different rooms in each setting. It is all quite confusing at first, but one really doesn't mind. It sort of adds to the romp.
The opening scene is a delight as we meet all the characters. Both teens, relating similarities in their dads, same name and taxi operator, decide to meet. Their moms insist that dad be involved in the decision to meet. Well, you get the idea. Dad is adamant against it, and the moms insist that dad take care of the problem.
Jeff Laurence is a delight as the panicked bigamist. He enlists the boarder at the Wimbledon home, Stanley (John Aviles), to aid and abet a snowballing trail of lies. Aviles, with a bit of overthe top acting, is a perfect Stanley. His timing is brilliant. Darling and Lapczynski, as the wives, are a delight. They portray the perfect parents in traditional families, always insisting that Dad knows best.
Parry and Saenz, the teens, are delightful. They have seemingly unbounded energy, portraying charming innocents. Both Parry, whom I had seen last week doing Shakespeare, and Saenz are already seasoned actors at Poway High School.
Playing Stanley's senile Dad is Kirk Irvine. Irvine has very few lines, yet dominates those few moments when he's onstage by his character's quirkiness. His pratfall schtick looks extremely dangerous but gives his character an added dimension.
Director Payne's set, while a bit confusing, works well. Multi-talented Sharon Bowen gives nice crisp lighting to the set as well providing costumes that help define the characters. Sound Designer Lou Alliano provided the music. Monica Johnson's props add to the livedin feel of the set.
Sadly, I missed a few lines which were drowned out by the laughter. At times, the blocking felt too busy for the given moment. Also, the timing of some entrances and exits was a bit slow, losing the impact of the schtick. None of this stops the laughter from rolling. This is definitely the time to see Caught in the Net. We can always use a good laugh.
