BWW Reviews: THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH at The American Century Theater Feels Lackluster

Soda instead of beer, radio baseball games instead of cavorting, no smoking for six weeks - these are not the things a bored married man wants to experience while on his own. And, according to George Axelrod's play THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH, now playing at The American Century Theater, that boredom can be a recipe for mischief. The American Century Theater has begun its 20th and final season with a remount of this production, previously performed in 2002; however, it definitely drops more than a few potted plants during the performance.

For those not formerly entranced by Marilyn Monroe swooning over a subway grating in the classic film, the story of THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH almost entirely lives in the mind and decisions of Richard Sherman (BRUCE ALAN RAUSCHER), an advertising manager whose seve-year marriage has become mildly stale. Sherman's wife and son head away for the summer, and Dick is left to his own imagination, and a bubbly, extremely attractive new neighbor, also know as "The Girl" (CAROLYN KASHNER).

For as small a theatre as Gunston Theatre II, which houses the production and company, designer Trena Weiss-Null's set is huge, intricate, and well-detailed. There are books on the shelves, paint treatments on the walls. It is everything you'd expect to see in an average, middle to upper class household. The stage left side is partially occupied by a terrace, and a "staircase to nowhere" sits upstage center. Director Rip Claassen doubles as costume designer, and for the most part, they fit within the time period and glamour needed. However, a few costumes could have used alterations in order to fully stay in place.

This show is largely based around its main character, who sets the tone from the start. While Rauscher has some genuinely funny ideas (shining off his wife's cleavage as she leans in for a kiss), his portrayal walks a not very relatable line between Woody-Allen-esque neurosis and being just plain smug. There is some potential for the character to be likable as he heads into his mistakes, but this was not such a depiction. While I can somewhat attribute this to being female and never wanting to encounter Richard Sherman personally, the performance just struggled.

Carolyn Kashner has a vivacity to her that this character needs. She is bubbly, naïve, and game for anything. However, especially early on in the show, her choice of vocal pitch was grating, resembling a children's cartoon character. It got tedious, and stayed that way throughout. This took away from an otherwise good performance.

Emily Morrison as Helen, Dick's wife, has a sweet elegance that works well. However, her scenes struggled with the addition of Ric Andersen as Tom McKenzie, a seemingly lascivious author who dotes on her. Claassen set up the scenes to be over-the-top figments of Dick's imagination, and sadly, they are too out there to be funny. Andersen's accent is all over the map, and the timing was off, sometimes lagging as they moved around the stage.

The rest of the ensemble holds their own during the brief moments they are onstage. Steve Lebens as the quirky, straightforward Dr. Brubaker was the highlight of the show, and was happily hilarious.

All in all, this production, the classic script and the ensemble have potential to be solidly funny. However, it seemed at times as if they were so aware of the humor that they went over the top, assuming the ridiculous lines would sufficiently carry them. Some restraint would assuredly make this production one that, in its current state, can and should be substituted with other forms of mischief and hilarity.

THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH runs at Gunston Theatre II through October 11th. For production and ticket information, visit their production page. Photo credit: Johannes Markus.

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