Move Over, Mrs. Markham

Critiqued by Holly Bartges

Ray Cooney and John Chapman’s ’s hilarious farcical Move Over Mrs. Markham can equally be acquainted to Dancing with The Stars. No, not watching it; doing it. Not with the feet, but the eyes. To keep up with the wild and wooly antics of the off-the-wall characters, the eyes Tango, Samba, Charleston, Rumba, Jitterbug, with a few steps of Cha Cha Cha thrown in for good measure. No waltzes. 4-4 time doesn’t cut it with this rambunctious comedy.

Haley Johnson and Robert Kramer in Miner Alley’s production of Move Over, Mrs. Markham Photo Credit: Sarah Roshan

Miners Alley Playhouse’s current production, directed by Rick Bernstein, features a cast strung together by unmitigated chemistry and perfect timing.

The problem. Yes, there is a problem.

The problem: wanting to watch all of the characters individually at the same time. Even when they are standing still, they race full speed ahead. One misstep in timing, and the episodic production would come to a standstill.

Move Over Mrs. Markham is a predictable comedic English farce with all of the key elements of misunderstandings, jumping to conclusions, secrets, misidentification, and confusion. For the most part, Cooney writes the same play over and over.  The initial thesis is different, as are the characters and setting, but they contain the same elements.  However when the characters are thoroughly investigated and developed by the cast, chemistry is a sure fire element, and the director climbs inside the script making it his own, the plays are magically entertaining. Map’s production climbs to the top of the charts and then sniggles because the top of the charts doesn’t climb high enough. Move Over Mrs. Markham is one perfect show from direction, character development, set design, timing, lights, and comedic execution.

It’s not Mrs. Markham’s story that captures; it’s Mrs. Markham and her companions. It’s not even Mrs. Markham and her companions. It’s Bernstein’s fun filled direction and this particular cast’s artistic expertise, their willingness to give themselves over with 100% commitment to top flight “Zanyiness”, allowing themselves to be stretched into characterizations beyond even their own imagination.

Always in perpetual motion creating the Dance of the Eyes.

Laura Jo Trexler and Christian Mast in Miner Alley’s production of Move Over, Mrs. Markham Photo Credit: Sarah Roshan

You only think you’ve seen Christian Mast at his finest in previous productions. As Alistair Spenlow, the Markham’s interior decorator, he becomes someone you’ve never seen before, and probably will never see again. When Bernstein said, “Turn loose and fly,” he did. Mast is one of the reason’s the eyes dance. It is difficult to keep from watching him. Even when he leans against a wall, in the briefest of briefs, with eyes flashing and eyebrows doing eyebrow things, Alistair never stops. Mast sees to that. No question. He’s a comedic marvel that dug down deep to create an Alistair not soon to be forgotten,

The Markham’s live in an eloquent charming flat above their children’s publishing company. Designed by Richard H. Pegg, the set features the living room and bedroom with a cut away wall. The action takes place during one evening. The Markham’s have a social engagement to attend. Sylvie, the au pair, cunningly played by Laura Jo Trexler, has the night off. The flat will be quiet.

Well, almost quiet.

Philip Markham, (Robert Kramer), promises the flat to his partner, Henry Lodge, (Verl Hite) to entertain a new lover. So far so good. In secret, Joanna Markham (Haley Johnson) reluctantly promises the flat to Henry’s wife, Linda, (Leslie Randall-Chapman), so she can entertain her lover Walter Pangbourne, (Mike Perl). That’s enough chaotic confusion to swallow with the ice cubes, except Alistair and Sylvie plan on using the flat for their fling. To top it off, the Markham’s dinner engagement gets cancelled. Instead of the flat breathing a sigh of comfortable relief of silent calm, frenzied nonsense rules the roost. For a while the secrets remain in tact with simultaneous entrances and exists. If they were off one tenth of one percent of every second, the hilarious endowed scenario would come crashing down around everyone’s heads, and the audience would say, “That’s funny because---?” Doesn’t happen, won’t happen. This astonishing cast wears Move over Mrs. Markham elegantly smart as though going to the Queen’s Ball.

Johnson’s Joanna is richly carved from prim and proper socialite into a bundle of chaotic nerves. She’s zanily hysterical and wondrous. Even her eyebrows reflect her soul. Her eyes take a stand from moral convictions hesitating to play along with Linda’s romantic hide-away scheme to showing her jealous husband a thing or two.

Kramer’s Philip leaps into a frantic mode when the nearly deadbeat, discouraged publisher finds the second page of a love letter on the floor he concludes was written by his wife. He thought they had a good marriage. He’s been true blue, and he thought Joanna had been as well. His flat, his floor, who else would have written the letter? Who was she writing love letters to?

Then there’s the subject of geese. When Alistair attempts to explain the singular of geese to the sweet but naive Sylvie through verbal definition, and a charade-type demonstration, everyone wants to get in on the act. The further it goes, the funnier it becomes.

Just about the time the audience thinks they have seen it all, heard it all, Alistair’s second act sheer pink costume leaves the eyes hysterically dancing to a Rumba Twist.

If the cast couldn’t match its topnotch quality, Jan Cleveland would steal the show in her portrayal of Harriet Olive Smythe, a writer of children’s books who shows up in the middle of the sidewinder upside down chronic chaos. A precocious elegant lady Cleveland takes Harriet for a rockslide ride in the middle of this three-way tryst.

Leslie Randle Chapman, Verl Hite and Haley Johnson in Miner Alley’s production of Move Over, Mrs. Markham Photo Credit: Sarah Roshan

For a brief time, the telephone operator, Henry flipped over because of her “sexified” soothing voice, Miss Wilkinson gets treated in royal style when mistaken for Harriet. After all, no one had ever seen her. Heather Schroeder brings her to merriment life, fitting her right into the two-step dance of nonsense.

From the beginning, something grabbed the cast by the ears, throwing them into a zany self- propelled arena. Does anyone take a breath during the show?  Good question. The script doesn’t allow for it, but they must find a way. Everyone is still standing and laughing when the house lights come up.

Karalyn “Star” Pytel’s lighting design giggles right along with the breath taking escapades. Ann Piano hits the high mark with her appropriate costume design including Alistair’s sheer pink. Not everyone could wear this one and get away with it. She knew Mast would and could.

Move Over Mrs. Markham definitely needs to be on the absolutely do not miss list. The perfected romping of the cast, the well-written material, the character development, bumps the laughter scale through the ceiling for a sheer evening of just plain unadulterated entertainment. Call now for reservations. This is one splendiferous comedy that will be talked about for some time.

Move Over Mrs. Markham
By Ray Cooney and John Chapman; Directed by Rick Bernstein