Review: LONE STAR LOVE POTION at The Arctic Playhouse

English poet Thomas Tusser penned, “A fool and his money are soon parted.” Such can be said of the foolish individuals in Michael Parker’s bedroom farce, ‘Lone Star Love Potion,’ now at The Arctic Playhouse, a ridiculous, racy, mostly enjoyable comedy about adults behaving badly for a supposed fortune, courtesy of a romance-inducing elixir. (Yes, you read that right.)

Wealthy Texas landowner Mr. Sutcliffe has died, leaving behind several thousand acres. His butler, Jarvis (Ron Martin), and maid, Melody (Leslie Racine Martin), are busily preparing his estate for the reading of his will. The anticipated guests include Sutcliffe’s estranged niece, Patrice (Denise Izzi), her husband, Michael (Paul Koczwanski), his neighbor, Tammy-Jo (Sarah Serrilla), and his attorney, Mr. Oakfield (David Mann).

As his only living relative, Patrice inherits the land under two conditions--Jarvis may continue to live there and she may only sell the estate with his permission. Jarvis also privately makes Patrice aware of a special set of instructions from her late uncle for a mysterious love potion that apparently makes the person who drinks it impossible to resist. After the reading, Mr. Oakfield and Tammy-Jo depart, only to return when a violent storm floods the roads. They are soon joined by nearby resident Mary Lou Winston (Claire Leatham), a birdwatching graduate student.

Bedlam and buffoonery ensue when Patrice tests out the love potion on these seven stranded houseguests, each of whom mistakenly or deliberately gets a taste of the potion and its effect. Director Tony Annicone skillfully choreographs the scantily clad antics, secret rendezvouses, and abrupt entrances and exits. The grownups-acting-like-horny-teenagers shtick is amusing at first and goes on a little too long, but the cast proves they are up to the physical comedy and revel in the absurdity.

Martin steals the show as the indubitably witty Jarvis, who delivers corny one-liner after another with aplomb, and manages to maintain his dignity among a crew of maladjusted misfits. Serrilla gives a delightfully feisty performance as consummate cowgirl, Tammy-Jo; Mann is deceptively charming as the improbably impartial lawyer, Oakfield; and Leatham positively shows her stuff--literally and figuratively--as bookworm, Mary Lou.

The material is mindless fun, tailor-made for fans of sex romp slapstick, a la Benny Hill (for those old enough to remember) and reminiscent of ‘Don’t Dress for Dinner’ and ‘Noises Off.’ The script is unapologetically simpleminded and the cast works well together to convey its inherent silliness. Like some of the playwright’s other works (‘There’s A Burglar In My Bed’), he could easily trim the running time, but I laud him for helping audiences laugh and forget their own cares for a few hours.

‘Lone Star Love Potion’ runs through October 20th at The Arctic Playhouse, 1249 Main Street in West Warwick. For tickets and information, call 401-573-3443 or visit www.thearcticplayhouse.com.

Photo by Sandy Smith

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