Theater Review – “Love, Sex, and the I.R.S” – The Taxman Cometh
Bryan Dobson, Diane Vincent, and Jeffrey Cannata, with David Herbelin in the background, about to fall from the window ledge. Photo by Melissa Mollo
For subtle, turn the dial to the far left; for excessive, turn it to the right. In the case of “Love, Sex, and the I.R.S.” – an unabashed farce by playwrights Billy Van Zandt and Jan Milmore – the knob goes all the way to the right.
Theatrically speaking, farce is my least-favorite genre, but the production on stage through Feb. 8 at the Norris Theatre is a bullet train of laughs with the added grace of being very clever. It’s brought to life by the snappy direction of Ken Parks and an able cast willing to pull out all the stops.
Jon (Jeffrey Cannata) and Leslie (David Herbelin) share an apartment in New York. Jon is engaged to Kate (Shannon Fitzpatrick), who’s having a fling with Leslie, but Leslie still has a lukewarm relationship with Connie (Elaine Hayhurst).
For the past few years, Jon has been fraudulently filling out his tax forms and passing off Leslie as his wife so as to get a better break (Leslie could be a woman’s name, right?). Not surprisingly, considering where all this is about to go, Leslie has been left in the dark.
Also, again not surprisingly, the I.R.S. sends over someone, Floyd Spinner (Bryan Dobson) to investigate. Unwillingly entangled in Jon’s scheme, Leslie has to dress and act the part of a woman. It is, of course, a corny disguise you’d think anyone could see through except for perhaps a myopic Mister Magoo. Well, not here.
Karl Jaecke (a disheveled justice of the peace), Shannon Fitzpatrick, David Herbelin, and Jeffrey Cannata. Photo by Melissa Mollo
Into the mix comes a highly suspicious and snoopy landlord (Kevin Paul), and then Jon’s mother (Diane Vincent) makes an unannounced visit. Naturally, everyone arrives when they’re least wanted or expected.
By its very nature, farce embraces clownish behavior, cartoonish characters and outsized emotions, coupled with improbable timing (for better or worse – usually the latter), and a great deal of physical humor. “Waiting for Godot” it’s not.
“Love, Sex, and the I.R.S” was written in 1978 and, provided it hasn’t been retooled much since then, it’s held up remarkably well — although the greater acceptance of same-sex marriage has softened the barb of the central premise.
As an ensemble piece, it’s perhaps unfair to single out specific performances, although it is tempting to say that a few of them are really over the top (Herbelin, definitely, and Dobson as the I.R.S. guy), but that’s what farce calls for — laughs not logic — and the one thing that’s most crucial – a sense of timing — is here in abundance.
The company’s artistic director, James W. Gruessing, has a knack for these kinds of fast-paced comedies. Recent shows under his leadership and direction have included “Boeing-Boeing,” “Noises Off,” “The Odd Couple,” and “The Drowsy Chaperone,” all of them well done and professional. The current show is no exception.
“Love, Sex, and the I.R.S.” is onstage through Sunday, Feb. 8, at the Norris Theatre, 27570 Norris Center Drive, Rolling Hills Estates. Performances, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets, $45 to $55, and $25 for those of you 17 and under. (310) 544-0403 or go to palosverdesperformingarts.com.