Act II Playhouse Presents UNNECESSARY FARCE, Now thru 3/20

Two Cops. Three Crooks. Eight Doors. One Killer in a Kilt. Act II Playhouse in Ambler presents Unnecessary Farce by Paul Slade Smith, directed by David Bradley. The zany comedy is on stage in Ambler from tonight, Feb. 24-March 20, 2015.

Unnecessary Farce combines classic farce with a contemporary American plot. In a hotel room, an embezzling mayor is supposed to meet with his new accountant. In the room next door, two undercover cops are supposed to catch the meeting on videotape. But there's some confusion as to who's in which room, who's watching the video, who's taken the money, who's hired a hit man, and why the accountant keeps taking off her clothes.

Since its premiere in 2006, there have been more than 150 productions of Unnecessary Farce.
"Paul Slade Smith has had success all over the country with this show, and with good reason: it's funny," said Act II Playhouse Artistic Director Tony Braithwaite. "Audiences who like a good old-fashioned, door-slamming comedy will laugh their heads off at this hysterical show."

Smith was an actor before he was a playwright; he wrote Unnecessary Farce while performing in the national tour of Phantom of the Opera. He is set to make his Broadway debut in Finding Neverland in March.

The cast features seven of Philly's top actors: Anthony Lawton and Karen Peakes are the cops; Susan McKey is the accountant; Tom Teti and Gerri Weagraff are the mayor and his wife; Jake Blouch is the Scottish hit man; and Akeem Davis is the mayor's security officer.

The design and production team include Colin McIlvaine (Set Designer), Katherine Fritz (Costume Designer), Jim Leitner (Lighting Design), Samantha Bellomo (Fight Director) and Christopher Colucci (Sound Design).

Tickets for Unnecessary Farce are $24-$35 with discounts available for subscribers, seniors 65 and older, and students. Tickets are available by calling the Act II Box Office at (215) 654-0200, in person at 56 E. Butler Ave. in Ambler, or online at www.act2.org. Box office hours are 2 to 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

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