Reviewed by Tony Annicone

 

The Arctic Playhouse’s current show is “13 Rue de L’Amour” by Georges Feydeau. It was written in 1892 and translated by Mawby Green and Ed Feilbert. It is about locked doors, sexual innuendoes, mistaken identity, clothes switching owners and lying continually about the circumstances in turn of the century, Paris. Justinien is a seemingly blameless husband who periodically leaves his wife Leontine to go on hunting trips. Family friend Gustave, a doctor and man about town, has his suspicions about what Justinien is really hunting. He tries to use his suspicions as a way to get Leontine to visit his bachelor pad on 13 Rue De L’Amour. The confusions begin mounting as Justinien’s young nephew, Jean-Pierre who is still a student, needs money from his uncle to entertain his own mistress; the uncle’s friend Birabeau confesses doubts about his own unseen wife; and several of the men seem to be wearing identical pants while this is going on. Add a love starved female German concierge who was a countess, at the bachelor apartment and a befuddled police inspector to the proceedings and you have the ingredients of a funny French farce to tickle your funny bone. Director Christian O’Brien infuses his cast with madcap shtick to leave you laughing in the aisles.

Read more “13 RUE DE L’AMOUR (The Arctic Playhouse, West Warwick, RI)”