A Daffy Production of Steve Martin's "The Underpants"

A Daffy Production of Steve Martin’s "The Underpants"

Custom Made Theatre Company is   currently presenting Steve Martin’s "The Underpants" at The Gough Street Playhouse through October 22nd.  Steve Martin known as an outrageous funnyman based the farce on German playwright Carl Sternheim "Die Hose" .  When it opened in 1910 "Die Hose" was so controversial that the German Government banned the play.

 "The Underpants" plot is basically the same as the German playwright however Steve Martin has turned farce into a melodramatic parody full  of double entendres, Catskill humor and zany situations. The farce takes place in 1913 in a town in Germany where a young housewife Louise (Riley Krull) had been innocently waving to the king during a parade when her bloomers accidentally slipped down around her ankles. Her puritanical husband Theo (David Vega) believes this misfortune will ruin him, jeopardize his job as a government clerk and also his ability to rent out the couple’s spare room. The husband need not worry about renting out the room since Louise has become a celebrity. Gentlemen who witness her moment of impropriety come to the home wanting to rent the room.

Frank Versati (Paul Stout) a gentleman poet is the first to arrive followed by a nebbish barber Benjamin Cohen (Gabriel A Ross).  Both want the room in hopes of becoming her tenant and maybe her lover. Gertrude (Al Davenport) a neighbor lives above the couple wants to see the naïve wife becoming passionate with the poet since she will somehow get a sexual thrill from the intercourse.  Also involved in this farce is a straight lace German scientific professor (Michael Moerman) who would like to rent the room.

"The Underpants" is laced with boob jokes, a funny sex act and double entrades. There are zingers like such as “I want to sleep with you. It will take only a minute”. The techniques of high satire stage acting aren’t often called for these days and sometimes the imaginings of the actors are exercise in that direction thanks to director Hal Gelb. 

Riley Krull is charming as the naïve Louise. She nicely transforms herself from a timid wife to a sexually starving woman. Paul Stout is wonderfully hammy in the role the wacky poet Versati. He flits about the stage looking like a ham version of John Barrymore. He had some of the funniest lines of the parody.

 A J Davenport gave a polish performance as the neighbor Gertrude. It’s a lavishly overheated portrayal of sensual woman who needs to get laid.  Gabriel A Ross with his distinguish theatrical voice is first rate as the barber Cohen. He brings out the character’s idiosyncrasies and the defensive antagonism of character.  Outstanding is Michael Moerman (a veteran of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival) as Klinglehoff. He knows how to play a farce. David Vega did a creditable portrayal as Theo.

Scarlett Kellum designed proper costumes suggesting early 20th Century German ware while Hector Zavala has a nice compact set for the three sided stage. <i>The Underpants</i> runs through October 23 at their theatre located at 1620 Gough Street at Bush, San Francisco.  For tickets go to www.custommade.org  There next production will be Paul Zindel <i>The Effects of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds opening on November 11.