Theater Review : Humor’s Usually at Benfield’s ‘Bedside’

If there’s one thing that’s as difficult to re-create as French farce, it’s British farce. While the melodies may differ, the rhythms are the same. And it is just those rhythms, which are written in, that cause some of the problems in the Fullerton Civic Light Opera’s otherwise solid production of Derek Benfield’s “Bedside Manners.”

There are the requisite seven doors of farce for the characters to race in and out of and a deliciously simple plot. Of course, there are enormous complications and confusions for two “Mr. Smiths” who have come to a secluded British inn with their girlfriends only to discover gradually that each girlfriend is actually the wife of. . . . Even the pushy, slightly dim hotel porter finally figures it all out, the mates are reunited and infidelity is once more averted.

Most of the action, under Glenn Bradley’s direction, flows easily, but too often the timing of the farce is braked by the addition of physical comedy that obviously is new with this production.

You can almost hear the playwright’s metronome stop ticking while Joe Fletcher, as the porter, spins about in confusion, or crawls along the floor and up the stairs in exaggerated exhaustion. Farce happens to real people, and a real person would not do these things. As Bert Lahr said about farce: “The moment you start to clown, the fun is gone. That isn’t the rhythm of farce.”

Leslie Tinnaro, as Helen, also has a tendency to depend too much on physical shtick that doesn’t fit between Benfield’s beats. Her costumes, by Ambra Wakefield, consisting of a baggy sweater and shapeless dresses, are not the garb of a woman wed to Roger and lusted after by Geoff. But she is a good bit closer to form than Fletcher.

Tinnaro, along with John Boyle as her husband, Roger, Debbie Grattan as Sally, and Matt Miller as Sally’s husband, Geoff, otherwise have a very nice feel for the material and for the style. Their frantic action, which builds as the play progresses, is mostly on Benfield’s wavelength.

Bradley’s guidance plays into the humor, and one wonders why he allows the interruptions. It is also a mystery why, in an outdoor amphitheater that is small enough and acoustically sound enough to avoid it, the actors are amplified.

On the night this reviewer attended, Miller’s microphone went out for several minutes, and he had no problem being heard. On top of that, the sound is so loud that some of the scenes look as though they’re being lip-synced to a recording.

There is a sight gag worth noting in Steven Craig’s excellent hotel setting: identical paintings in both rooms. It’s a touch of reality that should have been heeded throughout.

* “Bedside Manners,” Theatre on the Green, Muckenthaler Cultural Center, 1201 W. Malvern Ave., Fullerton. Tuesdays through Sundays, 8:15. Ends July 2. $21-$31 (Wed.-Sun. price includes catered dinner). (714) 879-1732 or (714) 526-3832. Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes. Joe Fletcher: Ferris

John Boyle: Roger

Matt Miller: Geoff

Debbie Grattan: Sally

Leslie Tinnaro: Helen

A Fullerton Civic Light Opera production of Derek Benfield’s farce, presented in cooperation with the Muckenthaler Cultural Center Foundation and the city of Fullerton. Directed by Glenn Bradley. Scenic/lighting design: Steven Craig. Sound design: Nelsonics. Costume design: Ambra Wakefield. Makeup design: Heather Stafford. Production stage manager: Terry Hanrahan.