THE UNDERPANTS Adapted By Steve Martin Opens 2/22

Be ready to laugh at the hilarious farce The Underpants, written by German playwright Carl Sternheim and adapted by comedian Steve Martin. The show is presented by Grosse Pointe Theatre and Ed Lazar, agent, State Farm Insurance Companies.

The Underpants opens on Sunday, February 22nd with a 2:00 p.m. matinee. The show continues February 26-29 at 8:00 p.m., March 1st at 2:00 p.m. and March 4-7 at 8:00 p.m. All performances are in the Fries Auditorium of the Grosse Pointe War Memorial, 32 Lake Shore Road, Grosse Pointe Farms, MI 48236. Tickets are $16 and group rates are available for 10 or more. Call 313-881-4004 or visit the Grosse Pointe Theatre website at www.gpt.org for tickets and information.

The Underpants is Steve Martin's adaptation of Carl Sternheim's 1911 play, Die Hose, set in Dusseldorf, Germany in 1910. Louise Maske is a pretty young housewife dominated by her older, unromantic and overbearing husband, Theo, who is zealously interested in bourgeois respectability. The trouble starts when Theo and Louise watch a parade in honor of the Kaiser and, while waving at the Kaiser, Louise's bloomers accidentally drop around her ankles, but she quickly pulls them up. For this provocative incident, not shown, Louise is browbeaten at home by Theo, who fears that this public scandal could mean the loss of his job as a government clerk. This disgraceful mishap is the thrust of the play's action.

The Maskes need cash because Theo's pay is quite meager. Before the embarrassing incident occurred, they posted a "Rooms to Let" sign in their window, with no takers. However, after Louise's drawers drop, the Maskes are no longer at a loss for prospective renters.

This uproarious, door-slamming farce introduces an assortment of crazy characters: the nosy upstairs neighbor, Gertrude; the pathetic barber, Cohen who claims his name is "Cohen with a K" to placate Theo; the romantic poet Versati, the lover, who is all talk and no action; and the stuffy, repressed Klinglehoff, sometimes prone to uttering obscenities when agitated..

The unprecedented romantic attention given to her by infatuated suitors Cohen and Versati encourages Louise to dream of escaping from her oppressive marriage. As the story progresses, the sexually-starved Louise becomes more daring and resourceful, and things are tied up nicely in the end.

Cast members include Tamara Connolly of Grosse Pointe Farms as Louise, Ken Kelley of Clinton Township as Theo, Don Cilluffo of Harrison Township as Cohen, Harry Burkey of Grosse Pointe Woods as Versati, Mary Adzigian of Grosse Pointe Woods as Gertrude and Geno Pirrami of Clinton Township as Klinglehoff.

The Underpants is directed by Rick Mason of St. Clair Shores, with Gwenn Samuel of Grosse Pointe Park as producer. Other show staff include technical director Jim Arnold of Grosse Pointe Woods; stage manager Stephanie Elaine Samuel of St. Clair Shores; set designer Lois Bendler of St. Clair Shores; set dresser Gayle Arnold of Grosse Pointe Woods; costumer Marie Oleksiak of Roseville; makeup designers Arlene Marie Schoenherr and Michele Karl, both of St. Clair Shores; properties mistresses Nancy Bashara of Grosse Pointe Woods and Gemma Allor of Mt. Clemens; sound designers Ed and Ericka Thomas of Centerline; lighting designer Tom Archinal of Grosse Pointe Park and assistant producer Beth Battjes of St. Clair Shores.

The Grosse Pointe War Memorial offers dinners in the Fries Crystal Ball Room before performances of The Underpants on Feb. 26, 27, 28, March 4, 5, 6 and 7 at 6:30 p.m. at a cost of $19.75 per person. On Sunday, March 1st the War Memorial will serve a brunch from 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. at a cost of $17.95 per person. Reservations may be made by calling the Grosse Pointe War Memorial at 313-881-7511 after purchasing tickets for the production.

For more information about Grosse Pointe Theatre call 313-881-4004 or go to the website at www.gpt.org.

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