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Scarborough Theatre Guild brings hilarious final show of the season to stage
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June 24, 2008 11:59 AM
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A politician with an over-active libido and a swanky hotel room complete with one dead guy made for a hilarious final show of the season for the Scarborough Theatre Guild.

The company staged Out of Order, a farce by Ray Cooney to a full-house last week and it did not disappoint. The play was full of over-the-top antics and high comedy pulled off by a talented and entertaining cast.

Set in London in the days when Margaret Thatcher ruled Britain, junior minister Richard Willey (Barry Neilson) is planning to shuck responsibility to his job and marriage when he sets up a romantic evening with the secretary of the opposition, Jane (Julie Jarrett) in the Westminster Hotel.

Richard has called his wife to say he's working late and has told his personal assistant George (Mike Woodbridge) to cover for him during the debate he should be attending in Parliament. Once Jane arrives, they share some flirty conversation, and lingerie and champagne enter the picture, but that's as far as the romance goes.

The simple act of opening the window reveals a dead man (Kevin Shaver) sandwiched between it, but they can't call the police for fear of the tryst being discovered. Unfortunately, another guest has spotted the dead man believing him to be a prowler and has alerted the hotel manager (Mark Boyko).

After placing the body on a hook in the closet, Richard calls George to help him out of the mess. George, who lives with mum and is a late-bloomer, is mortified at the present situation and soon bears the brunt of all of the mayhem that ensues.

A simple plan to dispose of the body goes wrong from the start. The manager is growing increasingly suspicious and along with the hotel waiter, shows up at the room frequently making the body disposal harder to accomplish.

Add to that the many unexpected guests that arrive such as Jane's husband Ronnie (Damien Gulde), who turned out a great "jilted husband" performance, and Pamela (Leah Foster), Richard's wife.

The dialogue is smart and the circumstances are hilarious and included the body being put in several questionable scenarios. The body probably had more fun dead than alive, and many of the characters would definitely have been charged with indecent treatment of a corpse.

Hats off to the cast who pulled off what had to be an exhausting two-hour show where the action never stopped. There was a lot of physicality, hilarious banter, a lot of window-crashing and even nudity in the show.

The comic duo of Mr. Willey and George, played by Neilson and Woodbridge, made sure the audience never had a dull moment. By the second act Woodbridge was so fully engulfed in his role and his comedic acting was tremendously funny.

Shaver, even as a dead guy will make you laugh-out-loud and Jarrett's portrayal of Jane was not only funny, but pulled off bravely in lingerie.

This show is a non-stop comedy, full of one surprising twist after another with a satisfying conclusion. However, it's definitely a show for adults only.

The remaining Out of Order shows are June 25 - 28 and July 3 - 6, 8 p.m. at Scarborough Village Theatre, 3600 Kingston Rd. Tickets are $17 and $14 for students and seniors Thursdays and Sundays only. For tickets, please call 416-396-4049.

     
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