December needn't be limited to holiday "classics" such a A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker or touring productions of "Holiday On Ice." The Milwaukee Repertory Theater demonstrates this with a sprightly examination of summer theater called Laughing Stock. It may seem odd when characters complain of blazing heat and mosquitoes when the real temperature outside is barely above freezing. Aside from that, however, Laughing Stock offers a rare treat for theatergoers of all ages.
Laughing Stock is strictly family fare in every sense of the word. Okay, the play sometimes overdoes its silliness. But there are thoughtful moments, too. Overall, it's a nicely balanced production that combines gags and pratfalls with more realistic musings about life in the theater. In this case, the theater consists of a very old, dusty barn in New England. Known as "The Playhouse," it has attracted a considerable audience over its 67-year-history. We learn early on that its nadir was a recent production of Peer Gynt. Although loved by the idealistic artistic director (played by Donald Sage Mackay), it had the opposite effect on the theater's largest benefactor (who is never seen onstage). The various plagues faced by "The Playhouse" (and summer theaters in general) include the usual: not enough money, too much work, an audience that fears to tread too far from the ordinary, etc. As the cast and crew attempt to mount The Playhouse's current season, almost everything goes wrong. This includes: misplaced props, sound cues that don't work and actors who have difficulty memorizing their lines. The current playbill consists of Hamlet, Charlie's Aunt and Dracula.
The only fully developed characters in Laughing Stock are the theater's artistic director and his ex-wife, who serves as the stage manager. The rest of the characters are stereotypes. Still, the stereotypes are true enough to elicit chuckles of recognition from anyone who has spent a summer (or a lifetime) in the theater.
The cast, which mainly consists of Milwaukee Repertory Theater acting company members, seems to be having a great time with this production. Perhaps the funniest person onstage is Tyler Taylor (Brian Vaughn), a leading man known for his lecherous interludes. Vaughn's surefire comic timing is put to good use as he dons a black cape and fangs to play "Dracool - Prince of the Undead" (or whatever this latest adaptation is called).
As "Dracool," Vaughn vamps it up to the point of hysteria. Even his comely "victim," the ditzy Mary Pierre (Cristina Panfilio), can't resist giggling when Dracula gives her a nip on the neck. Other memorable characters also comprise this motley bunch. James Pickering does wonders with his role as a grumpy old actor. So does Richard Halverson as one of the acting company's veteran cast members. Halverson is a stitch as he panics when discovering that a letter (which contains his lines for the rest of the scene) is missing from his coat pocket. His nervousness is further heightened by Pickering's increasing irritability.
Eddie Collins makes a memorable appearance as Jack Morris, a young actor with real promise.
Laughing Stock may never replace the snappier, edgier and funnier Noises Off as the quintessential backstage play, but it's a heck of a lot of fun to watch in December - or whenever one's funny bone requires it.
