By Carol Davis
SOLANA BEACH, California—North Coast repertory Theatre in Solana Beach is celebrating its 31st season. For this, a big Shout Out is due. On the occasion of this birthday, they are also mounting the San Diego Premiere of Steve Martin’s adaptation of Carl Sternheim’s 1911 Die Hose or translated, The Underpants. Tantalizing? Titillating? Tingling? Exciting? Funny? Could be all of the above, or none of the above. You be the judge.
Based on Sternheim’s social commentary, Die Hose the story (if you will) centers on Louise and Theo Maske, a mid-level civil servant and his younger wife (Matthew Henerson and Holly Rone), who live in Dusseldorf. It seems that while standing in a crowd watching the annual King Parade, Louise’s underpants dropped to her ankles causing a stir in the community at the same time bringing her some unintended fame.
This in turn drives her husband to all sorts of wild accusations to almost house arrest (he confines her to the house). The fallout and fame from this mishap lures several men to her door clamoring to rent the vacant room being advertised. Oblivious to the just-male applications, her puritanical husband thinks this incident will turn into a catastrophe for him and cause him to lose his job. It is 1910 Germany.
In 1910 the play was so controversial that the German government banned it. That in turn encouraged Sternhein, (who by now has left the country) to satirize, with his writings, the government, middle class morality and conformity. And what better way is there than to satirize and make a mockery out of hypocrisy than to write a play about it for the world to judge?
Steve Martin, whom I love in his films, is about as funny as any man can get. The Underpants and his adaptation? Not so much! There is only so much one can do with a one-note play. Let’s face it, a husband berating his wife, a string of male borders eager to rent a room in a house where the woman publicly looses her bloomers might sound enticing, so thought some.
Then add the expectation from those same men who happened to see this dropping of the ‘underpants’ of hoping to get into the wife’s, now firmly in place knickers might add another layer of intrigue. Couple these with a nosy upstairs neighbor who encourages her younger friend to have an affair while she’s schtupping (check it out) her husband might even add titillating curiosity. However, it just never managed to make it past ‘go’ as far as this reviewer is concerned. And the overtly sexual in nature double entendre that caused so much delight to some had me silently groaning.
Credit to Martin who evidentially thought the themes would still be funny today and by the sound of the audience response on opening night at the North Coast Rep., the house was fairly divided. That said some of the characters do have some one-line zingers and risqué innuendos, the last a much-needed ingredient to pump up audiences. None of this is in question. The question is ‘can we do better that this’? I think yes, but not with this piece.
Director Mark Pinter has a capable enough cast especially with Omri Schein who is the most physical. Schein, whose character as one of the now boarders, is a barber, but also a hypochondriac who reveals to Theo that his name is Benjamin Cohen (with a ‘K’)…get it? The mention of kosher (with a ‘C, wink, wink) foods brings the same laughs. These anti Semitic undertones do nothing to help matters either.
Cohen has the hots for Louise and falls and trips all over himself, literally, trying to get a ‘leg up’ advantage. She strings him along as she does the poet (“unpublished-I’m proud to say-but now one who has found his muse”), Frank Versati, (Jacob Bruce is measured and funny) another boarder who would like to get into Louise’s underpants and romanticizes about it as only a poet could.
Schein is a terrific actor. You will remember him in The 25th Annual County Spelling Bee at this theatre a few yeas ago. He also brought the house down in Five Course Love.
Jonathan McMurtry is Klinglehoff, the third applicant, and a weird scientist. He too wants to take the spare room, but doesn’t want any contact with Louise. “She must wear decent clothing, not rippled or revealing” Some nut cake, that. When he gets excited, he confesses, “I’ve been known to utter a foul string of obscenities”.
McMurtry/Klinglehoff pops in, in the first act and we don’t get to see him as often as the others but I couldn’t help thinking that he reminded me of Artie Johnson in “Laugh In” as the rejected, dirty old man who tries to make it with Ruth Buzzi’s spinster character, Gladys Ormphby. Now the image of that did tickle my funny bone!
Clarinda Ross plays the over the top and nosy neighbor, Gertrude with just enough annoyance to drive one crazy, but gets the job done especially when she presents Louise with a mammoth sized pair of bloomers boasting the colors of the German flag that in the end, the King now making his presence seen in Louise and Theo’s apartment, gets to salute.
The coolest of all the characters is Holly Rone’s Louise. First let me say that she is adorable. She is perfectly suited as the ‘above the fray’ oft times solemn and innocent but frustrated wife of a dictatorial jerk who can’t see below his Hitler look a like moustache. Lucky for Louise that she did, in fact drop her underpants. It gave her a sense of purpose and a new sexual awakening far removed from what her husband, who looked at her as an object to cook and clean for him, could offer.
Martin does attempt to make more of the farce a central theme rather than center on the satire. The end result is kind of a muddle of sex farce, satire and social commentary as Theo lectures Cohen on eating healthy and advising the poet Versati on how to act like a man while the ugly truth is that Theo is a bore who continually complains about his gas and diarrhea. Henderson does a fine job as the chauvinistic, self-important windbag who manages to turn just about everyone off.
One of the best things about The Underpants is Marty Burnett’s set. From a first glance at the skewed apartment, it is obvious that something is amiss. As always, he get’s it right. Matthew Novotny’s lighting design kicks in just fine particularly at the end when the Coo coo clock decides to do its own thing and Alina Bokovikova’s costumes fit the mood and personalities of the times, especially Louise’s ruffled (OMG) underwear.
And just as a sidebar, my maiden name is Cohen (with a ‘C’).
See you at the theatre.
Dates: Through Sept. 30th
Organization: North Coast Repertory Theatre
Phone: 858-481-1055
Production Type: Farce/Satire
Where: 987 Lomas Santa Fe Drive, Solana Beach
Ticket Prices: $37.00-$54.00
Web: northcoastrep.org
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Davis is a San Diego-based theatre critic who may be contacted at carol.davis@sdjewishworld.com