Shady Business' actors deliver the goods

by Andrew Juhl

Old Creamery - Mistaken identity. It’s a very old trick to use when writing comedy, as it creates a plot where essentially there is none. We’ve all seen it, from Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night to nearly every television sitcom that makes it to its second season (and basically every episode of Three’s Company). So in order to for an audience to care at all when they see yet another iteration of this tired device, that iteration needs to contain something special. It needs to bring the laughs, stay tight, and—on some level—be a little unpredictable.

The Old Creamery Theatre Company’s production of Robin Hawdon’s Shady Business acceptably delivers in all of those areas. The play itself has enough novelties, twists, and revelations that it avoids looking like a carbon copy of a story we’ve all seen a million times before. The story centers around on Mandy and her none-too-happy-about-being-an-accomplice accomplice, Tania. Mandy and Tania dance at a club owned by Mandy's boyfriend, Big Mack, a mid-level crime boss. Unbeknownst to Big Mack, however, Mandy has fallen in love with another man, Gerry. When Terry, a newbie lowbie in Big Mack’s syndicate, siphons a grand from an extortion payment that Mandy is charged with overseeing, Mandy (and Tania) have to hide Gerry (and Terry) from Big Mack (and his heavies, Dozer and Harry the Hammer) for a variety of interwoven reasons—not the least of which being that Big Mack mistakes Terry for Gerry. The fun of unraveling this Gordion knot of multiple deceptions takes up the entire second act.

The first thing that struck me about this OCTC production was the set. Even before the play starts, the set is on display for the audience to admire. It serves as the only scenery in both acts, and it serviceably breaks the stage into multiple “rooms” without distraction. Of course, even the best set in the world would be useless without a competent director to utilize it for his actors—and in this regard director Tom Milligan does a splendid job (perhaps aided by the fact that he was also the set designer).

The second thing that struck me—and, again, before the play even started—was the no cell-phone warning and general OCTC introduction. It was prerecorded, immensely enjoyable, and a unique way to set the tone for the evening.

As you would expect from a cast of professional actors, the performances were roundly entertaining. I noticed only two stepped-on lines during the entire production (a pet peeve of mine), and those were glossed-over by the obvious professionalism of the cast. The trio of L.R. Hults (Big Mack), Jason Grubbe (Dozer), and Sean McCall (Harry the Hammer) were enjoyable, but they were also—with the notable exception of Hurls—overly cartoonish at times (yes, even for a madcap comedy). Leah Raulerson (Mandy) gave a competent performance, but failed to break free from the boring underpinnings of the provided material for her character. Except for a speeded monologue later in Act II, she’s really only there to service the plot… or, rather, to have the plot service her.

The clear standout of the evening was Lisa Margolin (Tania), whose delivery, timing, and accent eclipsed every other actor’s in the production. With the (again) notable exception of L.R. Hults, Margolin was the only character who came off properly as “Joisey.”

Shared secondary props go to Joe Lehman (Terry) and Andy Brown (Gerry). Lehman, who I must confess I couldn’t stand for a majority of the play, redeemed his abilities admirably by the show’s conclusion, and Brown, whose successful performance hinged on an entrance in Act II, slides unerringly and quite believably from one ridiculous situation to the next.

The only real downfall of this play is not the production, but the material itself. While the plot is a passably novel take on a tried-and-true idea, the dialogue is chuck-full of crass sexual innuendo that adds nothing to the story and makes the characters (even more) unlikable. Frankly, at no point in this play did I want any of these characters to succeed in any way. They were lying, cheating degenerates, and I couldn’t have cared less as to their outcomes. Furthermore, while anyone with access to Google can easily verify that I am an obvious fan of sexual innuendo, I felt that far too many moments in the show were punctuated with tactless double entrendes. More than any other thing during the evening, those jokes took me out of the experience.

Finally, let me extend my kudos to the OCTC’s staff and services. I went to review this play on very little sleep after an immensely bad day at work. Even the slightest annoyance might have had me barking obscenities like a Chihuahua with Tourette syndrome. That being said, the evening could not have gone smoother. Instead of piling more obnoxiousness onto an already insufferable day, OCTC chilled me out and gave me a great evening. For that, I am truly thankful.

Overall, I would recommend OCTC’s production of Shady Business if you’re a fan of stage comedy. Anything that the play itself may lack, the performers and the theatre more than compensate.

Andrew R. Juhl is an area author and director. He has previously worked with the City Circle Acting Company of Coralville and Rage Theatrics.