Cheating the Tax Man: "Love, Sex & the IRS"

SHOW INFORMATION: Through April 5.  Fri and Sat at 8PM.  www.laurelmillplayhouse.org for more information. 

◊◊◊ 1/2 out of five.  2 hours, 5 minutes, including 2 intermissions.  Adult language, alcohol consumption and sexual situations. 

It has been a staple of comedy since the Greeks first took to their stone slabs and continues today, regularly showing up on TV and film, and of course, the stage.  What is it? Cross-dressing that causes a confusion of gender and identity.  A very funny take on this well-worn workhorse is the play Love, Sex and the I.R.S., which is concluding its "reunion" run this weekend at Laurel Mill Playhouse.  Seems Leslie and Jon have been roommates for years, and Jon has been filing their taxes as if Leslie is his wife.  He is not Jon's wife, but when the IRS comes a-calling, Leslie has no choice but to dress the part and play Jon's wife.  Trouble is, the landlord won't allow men and women to live together who aren't married, and Jon's mother shows up unexpectedly to help plan the wedding between Jon and his real fiancé, Kate.  Mayhem ensues as the cover up becomes more convoluted.  As directed by co-stars R. Brett Rohrer and Jay Balcar (they are Leslie and Jon, too) this cross between farce and Three's Company sex farce works despite a dated script and one out of sync performance. 

From the minute you walk into the LMP, you know you are back in the glory days of the seventies – lava lamps and Led Zepplin posters abound.  The very detailed set, designed by Michael Hartsfield, James Raymond and Mr. Rohrer, is an homage to 70's bachelorhood if ever there was one.  The costumes, featuring wedge shoes and disco/peasant dresses complete the look.  Unfortunately, if there is a drawback to the show, it is the dated 70's script which today looks quite awkward.  The problem is not so much the quaint lingo, but more so the antiquated (if unrealistic) morality of relationships – men and women can't live together until they are married in the 1970's? Please.  It is a contrived plot device that smells like the limburger cheese that figures prominently in the first two acts.  Then there is the obnoxious character of Mr. Jansen, building super/landlord who steals from his tenants, plays grab-ass with every female he gets near, and yet is keeper of the moral high ground.  I can't tell if it is the writing or the portrayal of the part by Jack Wassel, a ham without parallel who practically eats the whole set he is chewing the scenery so hard.  And in an unfortunate nod to bad community theatre stereotypes, Mr. Wassel has the bad habit of looking to the audience for approval while he barks every line at incredible volume and without fluctuation. 

The rest of the cast, however, is very good, and it is abundantly clear they are having a fun time.  Most of them were in the cast of the play three years ago, and have maintained a strong company bond that translates especially well when things gets decidedly madcap and timing is everything.  Melanie Eifert is effectively oblivious as Leslie's real girlfriend and plays wide-eyed fear excellently.  Michael V. Hartsfield, the lone newcomer to the cast, does a decent job as the justice of the peace, but might be better advised to be more discreet as he systematically robs the apartment, drawing attention away from the wrap up of the plot details (and lose the bong, it is just not funny). 

Jon's fiancé, Kate, is played by Jessica Wieder with that perfect 70's style of comedy honed so well by Suzanne Sommers, bordering on overplaying, but knowing just when to hold back.  She is a master of the eye-roll-heavy sigh combination which serves her part well.  Maureen Rogers, an LMP staple, is a hoot as Jon's mother, Vivian.  She has a great slow burn, a feisty delivery and plays a hilarious drunk.  Ms. Rogers' drunk is only overshadowed by the superb drunk of Larry Simmons as IRS man Floyd Spinner.  He adds layer upon hilarious layer to his drunken shtick, and is particularly hilarious when passed out but posed as if awake on the sofa. 

The two stars of the show (and co-directors) are a terrific comedy team.  Jay Balcar plays the patsy and straight man very well, with a well-honed bag of tricks that includes a razor sharp delivery, and a real gift for physical comedy.  He is only slightly less effective in the tender moments where the farce disappears and some reality attempts to balance the play.  R. Brett Rohrer is, and I mean no disrespect, one ugly woman!  But boy, is she/he funny!  The role requires a lot and Mr. Rohrer delivers.  His most hilarious moments are those when he is trying to walk on huge high heels in an impossibly ill-fitting dress.  And he is a riot on a window sill five stories up. 

Ok, so the play is silly, illogical and tends toward the excessive, but who cares?  It is funny – make that hilarious, and a great get away during this recession and tax time.  See this before you get audited! 

 

PHOTOS by Chris Rayman.  TOP to BOTTOM: The Cast; Jack Wassell and Larry Simmons; Jay Balcar and Maureen Rogers; R. Brett Rohrer, Michael V. Hartsfield and Jay Balcar.

 

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