debut director Liz Krane brings comedy premiere to life

The playwright and acting ensemble behind “Sharp Dressed Men” has returned this month with the tight and funny two-act “All the Rage,” and on opening night, it was hard to gauge who was most enthusiastic to see the troupe return. The actors seemed to truly enjoy every rapid-fire minute on stage together, while the audience showed its appreciation with long and loud laughs throughout the show.

“It was one of the best nights of my life, by far,” says director Liz Krane.

The second installment in a comedic trilogy by local playwright G. Matthew Gaskell marks Krane’s full-length directing debut.
“Throughout the entire process, I always felt there was something missing. Even though the show was hilarious and the actors were right on, at the end of each run it seemed like something was not quite right,” Krane says. “On opening night, I realized that we had been missing an audience. The show needs laughter. It’s the ninth character in the play.”

The script Krane and the cast bring to life opens in a church basement with three brothers—Henry, George and Tom—waking up on the morning of George’s wedding day. The comedy is classic and clean. There are no bachelor party regrets or wedding day jitters. All the same, jokes abound, and there’s always movement on stage, sometimes multiple activities at once as people dress and undress, enter and exit, place misfortunate phone calls and prepare for the upcoming nuptials.

The brothers have been friends their whole lives, and it shows in their pranks and play. As Krane points out, virtually any time Tom (Andy Fling) and Henry (G. Matthew Gaskell) have an interchange is an opportunity for a punch line. Gaskell, whose character sees himself as the most authoritative of the trio, runs with his script, much to Krane’s delight.

“Greg is a master, he just knows how to get that quick, clever humor down over and over until the audience is just losing it.”
One of her favorite jokes is emblematic of the fast pace. There’s a point in the end of the first act when Tom asks Henry, “Are you just going to stand there and take this lying down?!”

“It’s a throwaway line, and it comes in so fast that people don’t even realize it’s there, but I love it, I think that’s my favorite,” she says, then adds, “Also, all of Victor’s lines.”

It’s evidence of how tightly the script works that a reference to one character immediately leads to the next. The show is a balancing act of stories, mood and action. Krane aimed for the various subplots to feel like a seamless, authentic whole through two strategies—each rehearsal started with physical, vocal and mental group warm-ups, and the group was asked to rehearse off-book from the first day.

Tobin Moss, as Victor, probably has the highest joke-per-line ratio as a sarcastic would-be auteur who’s videotaping the preparations for the bride. He helps link the interplay with the rest of the cast, including Chris Savage as the groom George, Roland Goodbody as the Minister and Scott Caple as the boys’ father. Whitney Smith as Sally and Christine Penney as Celeste represent the bridal party, with whom the groomsmen explore their off-kilter connections.

Grounded in their lifelong bond to each other, the brothers are eagerly seeking similarly matched soul mates to share their adult lives. The complications revolve around achieving those goals, as each man strives to become a worthy mate while bound by the familiar fabric of his own life.

“The brothers are struggling with what most people from large families struggle with, and that’s walking the line between childhood and adulthood. They’ve been together for their entire lives and they would do anything for each other. But they also feel like killing each other from time to time. They work because they’re real. Most people can connect with at least one of the brothers,” Krane says.

Like those of us in the audience, maybe they don’t have all the answers, but under Krane’s direction, they show us that reaching for love is a good start.

“All the Rage” runs through March 29 at The Players’ Ring, 105 Marcy St., Portsmouth. Shows are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 7 p.m., with a one-day-only matinee at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 21. Tickets are $10 for members and $12 for non-members, available by calling 603-436-8123.