British farce opens at Phoenix Theatre April 2
Published 8:00 pm Tuesday, March 30, 2010
The Phoenix Theatre in Edmonds presents the fourth show of its season, the frothy British farce, “Taking Steps,” by Alan Ayckbourn, running April 2 to May 2.
Directed by MaryBeth Dagg, “Taking Steps” stars Melanie Calderwood, Frank Lawler, Jay Jenkins, Rick Wright, James Lyle and Meredith Armstrong.
In true Ayckbourn style, this farce uses the split-stage technique, with the attic, bedroom, lounge and linking staircases of a decrepit Victorian house all superimposed on one level. Mistaken identity, misunderstandings, and dysfunctional relationships in this zany farce spanning just one night. With three stories of a rambling Victorian house all on the same level, everything is collapsing at “the Pines,” the decrepit mansion in which “Taking Steps” is set.
Roland (Frank Lawler), a rich, boozy, businessman lives there with his third wife, Elizabeth (Meredith Armstrong), a television dancer forced to retire from her athletic career. Her brother, Mark (Rick Wright), is boring everyone to sleep with his dreams of keeping a fishing tackle shop, while his fiancée, Kitty (Melanie Calderwood), has left him standing at the altar.
The family building firm is now run by the son, Leslie (James Lyle), who leases the place to Roland and needs to sell it to him to survive. Into this wobbling world stumbles Tristram (Jay Jenkins), the dithering, deferential solicitor’s clerk who accidentally falls into bed with each of the women between apologizing for being born.
The Phoenix Theatre is an intimate 96-seat theater located in the Firdale Village shopping area in Edmonds. It was launched in 2008 by founder and artistic director Melanie Calderwood when the Edge of the World Theatre closed its doors. The Phoenix’s mission is to actively produce dynamic, top-quality entertainment for the Edmonds community and beyond.
