review

milt thomas

The Fox on the Fairway is Riverside’s first production of the season and with all the stress that goes with an impending election, a raucous, slapstick comedy is just what the doctor ordered.

All the mayhem takes place in the Tap Room of Quail Valley Country Club – no, not our Quail Valley, but the one in writer Ken Ludwig’s imagination.

The underlying plot is a rivalry between Quail Valley and a clearly fictional Crouching Squirrel Golf and Racquet Club. Quail Valley president Henry Bingham (played by Rod Brogan) and Crouching Squirrel president Dickie Bell (John Hedges) prepare for the 47th annual tournament between the clubs. Quail has lost five times in a row, but this year Henry has a star player that emboldens him to agree that morning to Dickie’s proposed astronomical $100,000 bet. Then Dickie pulls a fast one and announces the star player has instead agreed to play for Crouching Squirrel. Henry immediately goes into meltdown mode faced with a financial crisis and possible loss of his job.

But wait – a potential savior enters the scene, Justin (Nate Janis).  He is looking for a job, the last thing Henry wants to deal with right now – until he learns that Justin is a scratch golfer. So, Henry hires him on the spot as his assistant and financial savior. Justin also happens to be the fiancé of perky club employee, Louise (Allison Elaine). Crisis resolved? Of course not.

Justin and Louise are in the throes of young love and as in any relationship, love has its ups and downs. This is a screwball comedy, so the ups and downs happen in rapid succession – from lots of “get-a-room” affection, to misunderstandings, arguments, break-ups, storming on and off stage, and more kissy face make-ups. With each break-up, Justin is so upset he can’t play in the tournament, until the next make-up. With every emotional swing in their relationship, Henry goes through a corresponding manic-depressive reaction.

But wait – there is more. Henry is unhappily married to the overbearing Muriel (Carine Montbertrand), his “Lady Voldemort,” but secretly has the hots for a member of the club’s board, Pamela (Sandy York). Pamela also happens to be the ex-wife of Henry’s rival and Squirrel president, Dickie. When Henry gets drunk and finally expresses his long-suppressed feelings privately to Pamela, it creates yet another unintended comic consequence.

This all results in a tournament of madcap antics, mistaken identities, absurd situations, and more physically exhausting action than I’ve seen in a musical.  

One secret to good comedy is timing, and the professional actors pull this show off with flawless timing. The actors are all perfectly cast, experts in the Marx Brothers school of knockabout comedy. Riverside does its usual super professional job of staging, lighting, sound and direction.

A Fox on the Fairway was written by award-winning playwright, Ken Ludwig, who also brought us last year’s Riverside hit, A Comedy of Tenors.  While Tenors was more sophisticated (and I use that term loosely) being opera-oriented, Fox is more mainstream in a nation obsessed with golf. In either case, Ludwig’s plays score a direct hit on our funny bone.

You don’t have to be a golfer to thoroughly enjoy A Fox on the Fairway. It will certainly end up as one of Riverside’s most successful shows. It is performed on the Stark Stage and runs until November 10. Tickets start at $45 and can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 772-231-6990 or online at http://www.riversidetheatre.com.