BWW Reviews: LOVE, SEX AND THE I.R.S. Offers the Perfect Antidote to Tax Season Stress

Palos Verdes Performing Arts presents the hilarious tax-dodging comedy, LOVE, SEX AND THE I.R.S. from January 23 - February 8 at the Norris Theatre. The zany, fast-paced farce about a pair of bumbling tax cheats is filled with wild plot twists, lightning-quick sight gags, and a concoction of mistaken identities that rivals Shakespeare. Written by actors Billy van Zandt and Jane Milmore, the play premiered in 1978 and has been produced in more than 10,000 theaters throughout the U.S. and internationally. It is the perfect antidote to the stress of tax season right now.

The play follows two heterosexual men, Jon (Jeffrey Cannata) and Leslie (David Herbelin), who share an apartment in New York. To save money, Jon has been filing tax returns listing his roommate, Leslie, as his wife. The day of reckoning comes when the I.R.S. informs the "couple" that they are being investigated and an authorized auditor, Floyd Spinner (Bryan Dobson) will be visiting soon. With the help of his fiancée Kate (Shannon Fitzpatrick), Jon dresses Leslie up to masquerade as his wife. What Jon doesn't know is that Kate and Leslie have recently starting seeing each other behind his back and don't know how to tell him - with Jon and Kate's wedding just two weeks away.

Complicating matters further, Jon's mother Vivian (Diane Vincent) unexpectedly drops in to meet her son's fiancée, and Leslie's girlfriend Connie (Elaine Hayhurst) shows up demanding to know why he won't see her anymore. Of course his cross-dressing comes as a total surprise to her. Add one unscrupulously nosy landlord, Mr. Jansen (Kevin Paul) to the bunch along with subway justice of the peace Arnold Grunion (Karl Jaecke) ready to marry Jon and Leslie so their union will really be legal, and things quickly spiral into side-splitting confusion and chaos in this screwball comedy reminiscent of "I Love Lucy," "Some Like it Hot," and the sitcoms of the '70s, such as 'Three's Company."

The play was written in 1978, long before marriage between two men was legalized in many states. To that end, the play is a bit dated as nowadays the I.R.S. would not question a marriage between two men in New York. Of course, they could certainly audit their tax return. But taking that element out of the play would wipe out the totally hilarious mistaken identities created by cross-dressing David Herbelin as Leslie, the star performer in the show who moves effortlessly between being a "woman" in love with a man to being a man in love with a woman, or two women to be precise.

There are many moments of utter hilarity, especially when the lecherous I.R.S. auditor passes out after too many drinks and others do their best to take advantage of the situation, including Jon's mother who seizes the opportunity to slap him across the face several times in an effort to wake him up. Certainly we can all identify with wanting to do just that at some point in our lives, the slapping not the waking of course!

The highlight of the play has to be he curtain call, choreographed to "Macho Man" during which the actors do their best disco routines a la "Saturday Night Fever." Remember this is 1978. The audience was in stitches with each new move, clapping throughout.

Directed by Ken Parks at the breakneck pace required for any great farce, and produced by James Gruessing, LOVE, SEX AND THE I.R.S. will surely offer audiences a chance to forget their tax troubles and laugh at the ridiculous consequences of trying to fool the I.R.S. into thinking you are someone other than who you really are. Then again, as the play suggests, doesn't everyone cheat a little on their taxes and hope to get away with it? Just relax and enjoy the hilarity! The go work on your tax return.

Performances for the January 23 -February 8 engagement of LOVE, SEX AND THE I.R.S. are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. Tickets are $45-$55 and $25 for ages 17 and under. For more information or to purchase tickets call the box office at (310) 544-0403, ext. 221, or visit www.norristheatre.org The Norris Theatre is located at 27570 Norris Center Drive in Rolling Hills Estates.

Photo credit Mellisa Mollo

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