British humor hilarious in Whidbey Playhouse’s ‘Busybody’

  • By Theresa Goffredo Herald Writer
  • Wednesday, January 25, 2012 7:10pm
  • LifeGo-See-Do

“Busybody”: You know the type. In this case, it’s the cleaning woman. Always putting her nose in the cops’ business.

The woman lives in the basement of the office building she cleans. But this time, she not only brings the cops her idea of evidence, she finds a body.

“Busybody,” brought to you by the Whidbey Playhouse and director Dulcey Whyte, is a Jack Popplewell comedy that is, oh, so British and, oh, so droll.

The hilarity, in fact, centers around this talkative cleaning lady who finds herself in the center of some muck. But by the time the police arrive, there is no body and no evidence.

As it goes, the wrong alarms were sounded, murdered men turned up alive and the whole thing was chalked up to one cleaning woman’s imagination.

Then, an unidentified body is found on a distant hill and, in the course of her duties, the cleaning woman uncovers more evidence, according to press material.

There are so many questions: Is the company’s owner staging his own murder? Or did he kill his wife’s lover?

Is the lover an employee or someone else?

Where do the two female assistants fit in?

What does the wife know that she’s not saying?

In the end, all will revealed.

“Busybody” opens at 7:30 tonight at Whidbey Playhouse, 730 SE Midvale Blvd., Oak Harbor. Shows are 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday through Feb. 12.

Tickets are $16. Call 360-679-2237 or go to www.whidbeyplayhouse.com.

“Rosencrantz &Guildenstern Are Dead”: Tom Stoppard’s Tony Award-winning comedy is known to make audiences laugh out loud.

This Seattle Public Theatre production presents this show with a little twist: Local actresses are cast in traditionally male roles.

The show contains zany humor, quicksilver wordplay, gripping tension and a heady swirl of ideas brought forth when two nobodies who long to star in their own story come together, according to press material.

Seattle Public Theatre’s revival is directed by artistic and education director Shana Bestock.

“Rosencrantz &Guildenstern Are Dead” opens at 7:30 tonight at Seattle Public Theatre, 7312 W. Green Lake Drive N, Seattle. Shows are 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 19.

Tickets start at $25. Call 206-524-1300 or go to seattlepublictheater.org.

Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Life

What’s Up columnist Andrea Brown with a selection of black and white glossy promotional photos on Wednesday, June 18, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Free celeb photos! Dig into The Herald’s Hollywood time capsule

John Wayne, Travolta, Golden Girls and hundreds more B&W glossies are up for grabs at August pop-up.

Rodney Ho / Atlanta Journal-Constitution / Tribune News Service
The Barenaked Ladies play Chateau Ste. Michelle in Woodinville on Friday.
Coming events in Snohomish County

Send calendar submissions for print and online to features@heraldnet.com. To ensure your… Continue reading

Edmonds announces summer concert lineup

The Edmonds Arts Commission is hosting 20 shows from July 8 to Aug. 24, featuring a range of music styles from across the Puget Sound region.

Big Bend Photo Provided By Ford Media
2025 Ford Bronco Sport Big Bend Increases Off-Road Capability

Mountain Loop Highway Was No Match For Bronco

Cascadia College Earth and Environmental Sciences Professor Midori Sakura looks in the surrounding trees for wildlife at the North Creek Wetlands on Wednesday, June 4, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Cascadia College ecology students teach about the importance of wetlands

To wrap up the term, students took family and friends on a guided tour of the North Creek wetlands.

Mustang Convertible Photo Provided By Ford Media Center
Ford’s 2024 Ford Mustang Convertible Revives The Past

Iconic Sports Car Re-Introduced To Wow Masses

Kim Crane talks about a handful of origami items on display inside her showroom on Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Crease is the word: Origami fans flock to online paper store

Kim’s Crane in Snohomish has been supplying paper crafters with paper, books and kits since 1995.

The 2025 Nissan Murano midsize SUV has two rows of seats and a five-passenger capacity. (Photo provided by Nissan)
2025 Nissan Murano is a whole new machine

A total redesign introduces the fourth generation of this elegant midsize SUV.

A woman flips through a book at the Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Pop some tags at Good Cheer Thrift Store in Langley

$20 buys an outfit, a unicycle — or a little Macklemore magic. Sales support the food bank.

The Mukilteo Boulevard Homer on Monday, May 12, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Homer Hedge’: A Simpsons meme takes root in Everett — D’oh!

Homer has been lurking in the bushes on West Mukilteo Boulevard since 2023. Stop by for a selfie.

Sarah and Cole Rinehardt, owners of In The Shadow Brewing, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 in Arlington, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In The Shadow Brewing: From backyard brews to downtown cheers

Everything seems to have fallen into place at the new taproom location in downtown Arlington

Bar manager Faith Britton pours a beer for a customer at the Madison Avenue Pub in Everett. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Burgers, brews and blues: Madison Avenue Pub has it all

Enjoy half-price burgers on Tuesday, prime rib specials and live music at the Everett mainstay.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.