Stage Review - Move Over Mrs. Markham (Phoenix Theatre)

Stage Review - Move Over Mrs. Markham
Presented By: Phoenix Theatre - Edmonds, WA
Show Run: May 31 - June 30, 2024 (Extended)
Date Reviewed: Friday, June 21, 2024
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

Any good farce relies on all of its components working together like a well oiled set of gears that continues to build a momentum that increases the exaggeration of the plot as the play progresses. A situation that contains at least a shred of reality, or something that could be imagined as something that is, to a degree, feasible, is the foundation on which the farce is built. Exaggerate that situation, add a healthy dose of good comic timing, physical comedy, dialogue delivered quickly and confidently, but straight, and some satire, parody, and absurd or, better yet, racy behavior, and the result is usually a hilarious romp that will leave an audience in stitches. The more of these components that are delivered well in a play, the funnier it is, and in the case of Move Over Mrs. Markham, the farcical comedy that is currently running on stage at The Phoenix Theatre in Edmonds, the result is something that is laugh out loud funny from start to finish. The play, written by Ray Cooney and John Chapman, and directed here by Eric Lewis, thankfully has been extended for an extra week, now running through June 30, which is good news for those who were previously unaware of the show or had scheduling conflicts. It’s a great way to round out the largesse part of the 2023-24 theatre season around the Sound, and I was fortunate to be able to take it in during the penultimate weekend of the Sound on Stage Awards season for 23-24.

The play itself is set at the flat of Philip and Joanna Markham (Nathaniel Thomsen and Kaira Hensler), faithfully married for 15 years and having seemed to fall into a comfortable routine centered around Mr. Markham’s children’s book publishing business. Mrs. Markham has been working with the flamboyant Alistair (BJ Smythe), their interior decorator, to help bring some stylistic life to the flat, which, located above the publishing office, is lacking in character, or more precisely, flair. Later in the evening, the Markhams are slated to head out to an event for the business, and knowing this Alistair has made plans to “stay late” with Sylvie (Amanda Petrowski), the Markham’s maid. The play is set in the 1970s, in the groovy time of Austin Powers, so “staying late” isn’t to be necessarily taken at face value. When Mrs. Markham is approached by her husband’s business partner’s wife Linda (Ingrid Sanai Buron) about “borrowing” the flat for the evening for a rendezvous with gentleman suitor Walter (Ian Wight), Joanna agrees, not knowing that the vacant flat is going to be anything but. And speaking of Philip’s business partner, at the same time that all of these other arrangements are being made, Philip’s partner Henry (James Lynch) inquires about using the flat to meet his “telephone operator on the side” Miss Wilkinson (Natalie Sampson), to which Mr. Markham acquiesces. Through a series of mishaps, mistaken identity, good (and bad) timing, and a visit from the sweet old puritan-ish Miss Smythe (Melanie Calderwood) who is looking to get her book published by Markham and Company, the love “square” (it’s a little more than a triangle to begin with) quickly becomes a love hexagon and the result is a hilarious journey for the audience that contains every element of a good farce, designed and delivered with a high level of quality that is escapist entertainment at its best.

The key to the foundation of a farce is its tendrils into reality. Situationally, it makes sense that one of these pairs of lovers could ask to “borrow” the otherwise empty flat for the evening, but it’s the exaggeration of this, the fact that there are three competing couples vying for the same flat that makes this so funny. It’s also about the design, though. While the extent of the situation is absurd, on top of that the dialogue and action generating the lion’s share of the laughs, it’s important for the design elements of the play to be rooted in reality. The flat that is depicted on stage in Eric Lewis’ vision, and implemented by Technical Director Craig Marshall, Set Decorator Susan Connors, and Set Builders Kris and Eric Helland, is 1970s groovy chic from left to right, and front to back, complete with beaded curtain between the flat’s implied entry way and living space, bean bag chair, and furniture that is clearly and completely late mid-century modern, not to mention the oval bed that you can’t buy oval sheets for. Further, the color palette is a mixture of coordinated mustards, burnt reds, and other shades in the yellow, brown, and red families. From the set to Beth Fleming’s costume design, it all follows Eric’s themed vision, with outerwear, lingerie, and accessories, including the actors’ wigs, all in coordination with the clothing and the 70s motif. I especially like the variety of shoes that Ingrid’s Linda wears throughout, always coordinated with her outfit, purse, and other accessories.

And while the design features of Move Over Mrs. Markham are solidly rooted in a 1970s reality, the behavior, characterizations, and dialogue from the actors most certainly is a satirical and over the top version of this reality. Each role is an exaggerated version of a character, but they each take themselves extremely seriously, which is how this works so well. Their behavior is absurd, their dialogue sometimes cringy but always delivered with a straightness that, along with its timing, draws laugh after laugh. I’ve always said that there’s a fine line between the absurdly funny and corny, and while many of the characters here may do corny things, the actors in no way portray them as such. Philip Markham is played here by Nathaniel Thomsen. Nathaniel plays Philip as an uptight, work first everything else later man, happily married but he most definitely takes his wife Joanna for granted. Kaira Hensler is Joanna and as you might guess from the title, she’s the lynchpin of the group, the steadying voice to counter Philip’s neurotic nature. Steady, though, only until the events of the farce cause her not to be. As important as her character is, Kaira is also central in how the plot moves, the pace, and much of the timing. BJ Smythe as decorator Alistair is the third member of the trio that is committing the flat for the evening, him for his own purposes with maid Sylvie. BJ’s Alistair is flamboyant, straight but seemingly having to defend himself against this 1970s prejudice quite a bit. As an aside, there are some aged references and dialogue in the show, but it’s never offensive and it’s quite humorously delivered, though the abundance of labradoodles in our modern society must have been something that he playwright never could have foreseen. If you’re thinking of my previous Austin Powers reference, Alistair may be the closest thing, though James Lynch’s Henry isn’t far behind. In fact, all of the men here, save for Mr. Markham seem to have a predisposition for the physical aspect of love, so to speak. Ok, sex. They’re obsessed with it. One of the funniest sequences, a sort of minor theme that is strewn throughout is Alastair’s goosing of Sylvie, and his explanation of what a goose is to those who aren’t familiar. Of course Henry is aware of it, and the goose discussion is even funnier when both BJ and James provide a thesis on it. Rounding out what I would consider the group of leads here is Ingrid Sanai Buron as Henry’s wife Linda, who is aware of her husband’s transgressions and is trying one on for herself. In fact, she can’t imagine why nobody else, namely Joanna, is doing the same. I like Ingrid’s work here, her Linda is giddy like a school girl who is sneaking around behind her parents back.

The first act of Move Over Mrs. Markham is the setup and Act 2 is when everything comes to roost, and all “heck” breaks loose. During this setup piece, there’s one moment after another where one actor’s character is trying to prevent another from either working late, or from coming back to the flat, without being able to say why, or one plan is being made while a spouse is in the other room, unbeknownst to their significant other. It’s the timing here that works so wonderfully, the pace is quick, the doors open perfectly on time, and as a result, the work is extremely funny. There’s a precision that’s important to make this type of comedic deliver work, and this cast is clearly very well prepared.

Act 2 is not just when the audience gets to see the hilarious consequences of the first act planning, it’s also when the other characters come in, Ian Wight’s Walter, a sharp dressed man of few words but who is a little more, um, racy than is presented in his first impression, Natalie Sampson’s Miss Wilkinson, who is excited to finally meet Henry, but ends up in more than one compromising position, and Sylvie, whom the audience sees a bit in Act 1, but is more involved in the craziness that is the latter half of the show. Sylvie is the German maid and Amanda Petrowski plays her with a solid accent, a playfulness in Act 1, and a resilience in Act 2. It’s a well played character, as are all of these supporting roles. Rounding out the cast is Melanie Calderwood as Miss Smythe, the dog loving author of a canine-centric children’s book series in search of a new publisher. Time is of the essence for her and though this bumbling group, almost to a person, has told her that they will meet her the next morning, she somehow ends up in the middle of the mess that they have all made. The show, and the actions of the Markhams and their friends are all about sex, which makes their meeting with Miss Smythe, who is quite the prude in her own right, a large part of the humor in the second half of the show.

Move Over Mrs. Markham is a farce in every sense of the word. A story in which a faithful married couple’s flat turns into the unlikely arena for a love triangle (or two) is so full of laughs, you’ll be talking about how funny this show and these characters are well after the play ends. Director Eric Lewis has assembled a cast that understands how good comedy works, whether it’s of the physical variety, or by delivering situationally funny dialogue in the most straight and serious way. Move Over Mrs. Markham is a wholly entertaining comedy, and the fact that the show has been extended for an additional week can only mean that more people will get to see it, and that’s a good thing.

Move Over Mrs. Markham has been extended for one week, now running through June 30 at Phoenix Theatre in Edmonds. For more information, including ticket availability and purchase, visit https://www.tptedmonds.org/.

Photo credit: Jim Sipes