Playing Doctor is a Farce with Heart

by James Trainor

ITAC - Matthew Cramer (Justin Braden) is a brilliant researcher who works for a rather cynical medical company run by the rather dimwitted George Bartholomew (Marshall Nielsen). If his lecture is a success, he can get a large enough grant to do his research in peace, undisturbed by Bartholomew and his oversexed daughter Georgette (Jenna Vik). However, in order to earn the respect of his colleagues he has to evade Georgette, deal with his freeloading brother Joe (Alex Williams) and an overbearing bellhop (Meg Merckens), and figure out exactly where his notes are. To top it all off, his old friend Wanda (Katy Slaven), also in town for the convention, is making him question whether a well-endowed laboratory is really where he belongs.

The seventh character is a very realistic set by Thomas P. Johnson: a hotel suite that has exits into George's room, the balcony, the bathroom, the hallway, and a Murphy Bed that comes out of the wall. The construction and painting are excellent; Johnson's design instantly transports the audience to the hotel where the medical convention takes place. It's also an environment that is rife with opportunities for confusion and chaos.

This seems like a good setup for a farce, and Playing Doctor delivers. The script, updated by Johnson from a previous version co-penned by Mick Denniston, is littered with funny moments both verbal and physical. The stock characters are easily recognizable and it's entertaining to watch them running in circles as the plot unfolds. It's also not without heart: the emotional weight of the piece rests solidly on the Matt/Wanda scenes, where Wanda urges Matt to be true to his dreams and come work in her clinic in Louisiana, where he can heal people face to face. As the lunacy of the action tears at the fabric of the world he finds himself in, Matt has to make a choice about what really matters to him.

The plot is well-planned and moves clearly enough, but the script itself could use some fine-tuning. The beginning is really exposition-heavy, which is to be expected of a farce, but the early scenes feel rather dry as soon as Merckens leaves the stage and the principals tell us what is going on. The action in the later scenes gets bogged down; sometimes the dialogue gets repetitive or run in circles just when the play could use a big boost of dramatic energy. The end result is a script that feels unfinished; it could use a final rewrite for the sake of streamlining the exposition and the action.

The direction is also by Johnson, and it's difficult to tell whether pacing issues come from the script or from the direction. During the high-farce moments, the staging is entertaining and the pace is tight, even if some of the falls seem a bit unnatural. At other times, the internal pace of individual scenes seems to suffer, and actors seem to have trouble connecting. The true strength of both cast and director here, however, is the ability to switch quickly from stylized physical comedy to subdued scenework that focuses on emotions. There's a lot of fun, but there's an important message underneath it all about being true to yourself. To play both levels while holding the audience's attention takes a lot of hard work.

Both Braden and Slaven are very sincere in the serious scenes, and both are entertaining to watch in the comic scenes. Braden is an excellent straight man, and it's fun to see him paired with so many energetic actors. Slaven is a delight, sporting a believable Louisiana accent and soothing Southern charm that brings a bit of class to the piece.

Williams and Merckens are both hilarious, and they work quite well together. Williams gets to show off his entire range as the out-of-work actor Joe. Merckens is a powerful presence as the eager "bellwoman" Milka and she heightens the comic energy every time she steps on stage.

Nielsen and Vik are very good, but don't really connect with the other actors very well. They have a great grasp of these stock characters, and Vik's exaggerated staccato gestures are effective at times, but one wishes there were a little more grounded in the organic interaction with their scene partners.

All of these actors, however, had their moments to shine in a fabulously silly night of farce. All in all, Playing Doctor is a well-crafted piece that simply needs a little polish.