The TITANIC
THEATRE COMPAY prides itself on producing bold, cutting edge plays. Naturally
playwright David Lindsay-Abaire came to mind. He’s equally adept at absurdist
humor (like FUDDY MEERS) as he is with pathos (THE RABBIT HOLE). His wild
WONDER OF THE WORLD (@ Arsenal Arts Center through Aug. 9th) falls
into the FUDDY MEERS category, with escaping wives, a trailing husband,
bumbling private detectives and a plunge over Niagara Falls.
Titanic director
Adam Zahler has assembled a crackerjack cast to navigate the swirling waters of
upstate New York
and although WONDER has its madcap moments, it doesn’t quite reach the comic
pitch of FUDDY MEERS. Where the latter is refreshingly zany, WONDER is creepily
bizarre at times. I know, the playwright is just pushing the envelope but for
me to laugh at a Joseph Mengele reference, it has to be more than a cheap joke.
(Mel Brooks proved that Nazis can be funny but Brooks has a point on the axe he’s
grinding.) The same can be said for the icky Barbie material: gross, yes;
hilarious, no.
Mind you,
there’s a lot of WONDER that does hit the mark, chiefly because of the cast’s
spot on, tongue-in-cheek delivery. Alisha Jansky, who plays the jaded “Gabby
Hayes” sidekick to Meredith Saran’s nutty wanderer, has as Hayes would say “the
beauty part.” She’s the character who moves the (watery thin) plot along by
obsessing about the Falls—and by
spilling the beans midway through, she brings all the parties together.
Laurie
Singletary and Damon Singletary are a delightful duo as the Keystone Cops on
the scent of Johnnie McQuarley’s missing wife; Alissa Cordeiro is a treat as
the dubious shrink/clown (and wiseacre waitresses) but it’s Matthew Zahnzinger
whose tour de force as Cap’n Mike makes WONDER work.
The Titanic
Theatre Company’s WONDER OF THE WORLD ought to be a barrel of laughs. Instead
it’s a mixed bag of chuckles.
