Funny money is funny indeed

November 24, 1:02 PMDenver Theater ExaminerDeb Flomberg

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Dan Connell, Bob Leggett, and Luke Terry in
Spotlight Theatre's Funny Money
Photo by C. Smith

Farce is a very specific style of comedy. Farce is traditionally about broad humor and placing normal people in extreme and unlikely circumstances. Easily confused, Farce is not the same as slapstick – though there may be some slapstick humor in a farce. Farce has the fast paced and crazy humor that audiences just love. It is also the basis on which “Farce Master” Pat Payne has built Spotlight Theatre Company. Yes, they do other types of shows, but Spotlight is known for the farce – and the audiences love them for it. There is something to be said about a smart producer who will give the audience what they want to see. “Buckle up and keep your arms and legs inside the car at all times” was the opening line that Payne used to greet the audience for Spotlight’s newest show, Funny Money which opened this weekend at the John Hand Theater. 
 
Funny Money, written by Ray Cooney and directed by Pat Payne, tells the story of mild mannered Henry Perkins. He mistakenly picks up the wrong briefcase – one filled with money. Henry, assuming this cash is illicit anyway, decides to keep it and then rushes home to tell his wife, Jean. He says that since this is illicit money then there will be people looking for him, so they must leave town immediately. Then the mayhem ensues in typical farcical fashion. Two different police detectives show up – forcing Henry and Jean to concoct two differing stories for each police officer. Their friends, Vic and Betty, show up and get mixed up in the chaos, a persistent cab driver that won’t go away, and Jean drinks – a lot.  All of it comes to a very funny and very satisfying conclusion.

Luke Terry, Amy Ratliff, and Charles Hettinger Photo by C. Smith

Payne’s direction is smart, as he has humor and timing in his blood and there were some very strong performances as well. Bob Legget had the very difficult job of playing Henry Perkins. Ray Cooney is known for difficult scripts, with fast paced dialog that is difficult for any actor – and this role was no exception. The dialog was fast, the movement was crazy, and Legget held on for the ride. Legget was warm, funny, and timid in a way that worked perfectly for the role. In contrast to Legget’s timid Henry was his wife Jean, played by Linda Suttle. Starting the show in a controlled and well mannered fashion, she progressed into a drunken emotional wreck, struggling to handle this new situation that her husband forced upon her. Playing drunk is also not easy. It takes a very controlled performance to appear so out of control, and Suttle does it very well. Supporting the story nicely were Amy Ratliff and Luke Terry as the Perkin’s friends Betty and Vic. Both Terry and Ratliff were strong, providing just the right amount of assistance in keeping the plot as frenzied as possible. 
 
This is a very difficult show for any director to tackle. The dialog is incredibly difficult, the pace needs to be exceedingly fast, and the timing must be impeccable. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite land on every aspect. I was distracted by the British accents, which came and went with some characters, was completely not present in some, and were not strong enough to be believable in others. I think it would have been better had they not done any accent at all. The pace could also have been a bit faster, perhaps a symptom of opening night jitters, but it was a little slow in spots and some of the actors struggled a bit with lines. Overall though, it was still an enjoyable show and one that kept me laughing from beginning to end. After all, when daily life consists of paying bills, stressful jobs, traffic jams, and chauffeuring children – what could be better then just sitting back and escaping to a night of fun?