Barn Players get lucky with clever comedy

"Weekend at Bernie's" meets "Dirty Rotten Scoundrels" in the quirky musical farce "Lucky Stiff," now being presented by the Barn Players.

The songwriting team of Stephen Flaherty and Lynn Ahrens ("Ragtime," "Seussical," "Once on the Island" and "My Favorite Year") are responsible for this nutty bit of buffoonery. Even fans of the prolific duo may not know that this 1988 off-Broadway comedy was their first collaboration.

"Lucky Stiff" involves the merry mix-ups that occur when a man takes his uncle's corpse on a vacation to Monte Carlo.

Based on Michael Butterworth's book "The Man Who Broke the Bank at Monte Carlo," "Lucky Stiff" is a clever bit of nonsense that features a very catchy score.

Although the show is not a very familiar one, it was well-received when it first appeared at the Playwrights' Horizon Off-Broadway. It garnered the Richard Rodgers Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, an endowment for composers and writers who are not yet established in their fields.

The Barn Players deserve a lot of credit for taking a chance on a play that is not as famous as many of the shows that other theaters are offering this summer.

Alexander Hamilton leads the cast as Harry Witherspoon, a shy and retiring British shoe store clerk who finds himself in an unusual quandary. He learns that his Uncle Tony (Matt Gerlaugh), an American casino employee, has died, leaving him a $6 million inheritance. But there are unusual strings attached.

In order to get the cash, Harry must take Uncle Tony's body on a holiday trip to Monaco. If he does not fulfill his uncle's wishes to the letter, the will stipulates that the money must go to a dog shelter in New York.

Unbeknownst to Harry, Uncle Tony was quite a colorful character. Not only was he carrying on an affair with Rita (Julia Moriarty), the wife of the casino boss, the duo had embezzled $6 million from the joint.

In an apparent case of mistaken identity, Tony was fatally shot by the nearsighted Rita. When her husband discovered that the money was missing, Rita claimed that it was her brother Vincent (Scott Powell) who was to blame.

After Rita's husband hires a hit man to settle accounts, Rita and Vincent hightail it to Monaco in an attempt to recover the cash from Harry.

Also on Harry's trail is a representative of the Universal Dog Shelter of Brooklyn, Miss Glick (Jeannie Williams). She hopes to catch Harry in the act of failing to fulfill the particulars of the will. If she is successful, she can claim the money in the name of the shelter.

The supporting cast includes Phil Eatherton as a friendly Italian tourist named Luigi Gaudi and Ben Baellow, Norita Taylor and Wendy Casebier who each play multiple roles.

Naturally, the farcical elements of this setup are exploited in this mildly amusing lark, but its appealing music is the show's real attraction. For the most part, the Barn's cast members give these snappy tunes a pleasant delivery.

Director Melissa Whitaker-Auvil, musical director Michelle McIntire and choreographer Jered Solace inject the proceedings with lighthearted spirit, supported by McIntire on keyboards, Casey Carl on piano and Frank Anneccini on bass.

For a show with a cadaver as a major character, "Lucky Stiff" is surprisingly lively. The show runs through June 21 at the Barn Players Theatre, 6219 Martway, Mission. For tickets, call 432-9100.

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