BWW Reviews: EGGHEADS is a Hysterical Valentine to Screwball Comedies

EGGHEADS, produced by Tongue and Groove Theatre, plays the Center Stage Theatre at 2826 Real St, 78722 now thru Saturday, September 14th. Performances are Thursday - Saturday at 8pm. Tickets are $20 with a pay-what-you-can performance on Thursday, September 12th. For tickets and information, please visit www.tongueandgroovetheatre.com

In a rare moment of profoundness and introspection, Groucho Marx once said, "I, not events, have the power to make me happy or unhappy today. I can choose what it shall be. Yesterday is dead, tomorrow hasn't arrived yet. I have just one day, today, and I'm going to be happy in it." I'm sure Groucho would be pleased to know that a handful of artists in Austin are choosing to spread happiness and joy with Eggheads, a valentine to the Marx Brothers and their antics. Anyone who loves 1930s screwball comedies is sure to love this show.

The play, first produced by Tongue and Groove back in 2003, originally started as a screenplay. Scribe Joseph Skibell gives us his version of a frivolous Marx Brothers comedy. After writing a massive Broadway flop, playwright Franklin (Mark Stewart) is forced to go to Hollywood to try his hand at screenwriting. Fearing that he may back out, the studio sends Smitty (Courtney Hopkin) to meet Franklin at the train station with a trio of assistants in tow. The assistants behave like the Marx Brothers, though they also resemble Albert Einstein (Sebastian Garcia), Franz Kafka (Tony Salinas), and Sigmund Freud (Darren Scharf).

Skibell's text features plenty of rapid fire wisecracks and jokes which perfectly fit the 1930s screwball comedy style. Like many of the Marx Brothers films, some scenes are abrupt and are necessary only for setting up a joke or gag, but the gags are so much fun that after a while you turn a blind eye to how most of the shenanigans and vignettes add nothing to the plot. However when Skibell strays from the screwball style, the results are mixed. The somewhat frequent moments in which cameo characters, give an aside to the audience are puzzling (why is someone breaking the fourth wall to speak to us, and why is that person the shoe-shine boy?) but a moment in which Einstein, Kafka, and Freud have a philosophical debate regarding love is hysterical.

Director David Yeakle gives some top notch work as well. Comedy is hard, and the zaniness of the Marx Brothers is insanely difficult to execute. Nevertheless, Yeakle is able to do so with ease. The sillier the moment, the better the direction. Some highlights include a dance involving synchronized swimmers and another in which the entire cast becomes a train.

Though every member of the ensemble gets a moment or two of shtick, the supporting cast and leads get the best material to work with and turn in the most memorable performances. Garcia, Salinas, and Scharf are fantastic as the Marx Brothers-esque trio of philosophers and scholars, and while their performances wink at the audience, they never truly imitate the Marx Brothers or the historical figures they represent. Courtney Hopkin plays Smitty as a stubborn, self-assured girl Friday type, and she completely nails the distinct 1930s acting style and voice. Mark Stewart is equally good as Franklin, the arrogant drunk at the center of the play. But the most memorable performances come from Nathanael Dunaway and Adam Martinez as a duo of scene-stealing gag men. As an arguing pair of special agents who mimic and mirror every movement and line of dialogue, Dunaway and Martinez perform with perfect unison and elicit riotous laughter from the audience. They're so fun to watch, you may hear giggles and cheers of joy the moment the step on the stage in some of their later scenes.

With its over-the-top zaniness, witty dialogue, and expert performances, Eggheads is as perfect as a screwball comedy can get.

Note: Due to a few moments of adult language, Eggheads is recommended for mature audiences only.

Running time: 2 hours and 15 minutes, including one 15 minute intermission.

EGGHEADS, produced by Tongue and Groove Theatre, plays the Center Stage Theatre at 2826 Real St, 78722 now thru Saturday, September 14th. Performances are Thursday - Saturday at 8pm. Tickets are $20 with a pay-what-you-can performance on Thursday, September 12th. For tickets and information, please visit www.tongueandgroovetheatre.com

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