‘The Underpants’ brings Steve Martin comedy to Edmonds stage
Published 1:30 am Thursday, September 27, 2018
Phoenix Theatre kicks off its 11th season with “The Underpants,” a play adapted by comedian Steve Martin.
The production is based on an original classic German play written by Carl Sternheim and set in 1910.
The play pokes fun at the upper middle-class snobbery and conformity of the early 20th century.
Martin’s skill at creating witty dialogue not only updates the play but gives the audience many moments of laughter, director Eric Lewis said in a statement.
The play brings contemporary relevancy with its comments on modern gender politics and fame, he added.
The story centers on the household of Theo, played by Asa Sholdez, an uptight government worker and his pretty wife Louise, played by Renee Gilbert.
Louise accidentally exposes her underwear in public while waving to the king. She attracts a number of suitors (two are played by James Lynch and Curt Simmons), each vying for attention and the spare room that Theo is renting out to supplement his income.
The cast includes Melanie Calderwood as Gertrude, the upstairs neighbor, and Tom Cook as Klinglehoff, another prospective boarder.
If you go
What: Phoenix Theatre presents “The Underpants”
Where: Phoenix Theatre, 9673 Firdale Ave., Edmonds
When: 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 14
Tickets: $24 general and $22 for seniors and students
More: 206-533-2000 or www.tptedmonds.org
