Dr. Prentice is interviewing a
young woman, Geraldine Barclay (Amanda Troop), for a position as his
secretary. When he asks her to remove her clothes, the naive Ms Barclay
doesn't quite understand why this is necessary for her interview as a
secretary. But, of course, we in the audience do! While she is undressing
in a bed enclosed by curtains, Mrs. Prentiss shows up in the consulting
room to tell her husband that he has to hire Nicholas Beckett (Ciaran
Joyce) as his secretary. Why? Because she promised him the job to keep him
from blackmailing her.
Meanwhile, a government
inspector, Dr. Rance (Geoffrey Wade) comes to inspect the clinic and all
chaos ensues. Every person involved in the plot is taken out of context as
being psychotic by Dr. Lance, particularly when Nicholas and Geraldine end
up dressing as their opposite sex. (You have to see it to know why!) The
arrival of Sergeant Match (Jerry Della Salla) to arrest Nicholas adds more
to the confusion as he becomes involved in the caprice. As a top
psychiatrist, Dr. Lance takes it upon himself to self-diagnose everyone's
case. By his analyses, he appears to be more out-of-it than any of the
other characters.
If all of this baffles you, it is
because the entire two acts of this play are a laugh-a-minute, very
fast-paced, but so completely fun to watch and wonder, "how will it end?"
And when it does, it ends on a
completely unexpected note. I can't point out any one of the actors in
this play, as every one of them gives a smashing performance.
What the Butler Saw plays at the
Odyssey Theatre Ensemble through March 11, 2012. Reservations are
available by calling (3410) 477-2055, or online at
www.odysseytheatre.com where
you can also get the schedule of performances.
Comments? Write to us at:
Letters@ReviewPlays/Com
