Stoneham Theatre Presents "Lucky Stiff" - Drop Dead Funny - Through September 25th

Lizzie Milanovich as Annabel Glick
Andrew Barbato as Harry Witherspoon
"Lucky Stiff"
Stoneham Theatre
Through September 25th

Stoneham Theatre is presenting a wonderfully wacky and silly musical, "Lucky Stiff," with Book and Lyrics by Lynn Ahrens and Music by Stephen Flaherty.  This is the same team that brought "Ragtime" to Broadway. This madcap story is based on the book "The Man Who Broke The Bank at Monte Carlo" by Michael Butterworth.

Here is the rollicking plot: British shoe salesman Harry Witherspoon (Andrew Barbato) is stuck in a boring job and is living an unexamined life.  Out of the blue, his life is upended when a solicitor (Stewart Evan Smith, Jr.) contacts him to inform him that an uncle he never met, who was living and working at a casino in Atlantic City, NJ, has died and left him his estate of $6 million.  But there is a huge caveat.  Harry must agree to take his uncle's corpse on a last fling to Monte Carlo - dining, dancing, scuba diving, sky diving and gambling. If he refuses, or if he fails to follow the letter of the will to the T, then the money goes to a dog shelter in Brooklyn. And Harry hates dogs! Things get complicated when he learns in Monte Carlo that he is being spied upon by a representative from the Brooklyn dog shelter, Annabel Glick (Lizzie Milanovich), hoping to catch him in default of the will's instructions. She hounds him with dogged determination! John O'Neil has the unenviable task of remaining inert as the corpse in a wheelchair throughout most of the action of the play. He is good in this role, although a little stiff in his stage presence!

There is a wonderful menagerie of secondary characters. Mark Linehan is hilarious as the optometrist, Vinnie DiRuzzio. His sister, the ditzy and gun-toting Rita LaPoprta (Ceit M. Zweil), is married to the casino owner from whom the deceased uncle embezzled the $6 million. They flee to Monte Carlo together to try to recover the money. They also share a fun duet, "Rita's Confession." Bryan Miner stands out as the Emcee in Monte Carlo, Samantha Richert is wonderfully frumpy as the Landlady, and Jade Wheeler does a turn as Dominique du Monaco. And then there is the irrepressible Thomas Derrah as Luigi Gaudi.  In a significant plot twist at the end, Mr. Derrah's character is at the center of a complex denouement.

Cast
"Lucky Stiff"
Stoneham Theatre
Through September 25th

Director Caitlin Lowans, Music Director Bethany Aiken, and Choreographer Ilyse Robbins have this perky company singing and dancing their way through a dozen and a half songs and production numbers. The set design by Jon Savage is a mountain of shoe boxes that turn into a casino, a hotel room, a solicitor's office - and characters pop up from several different levels of the innovative set. Lighting Design is by Jessica Krometis, Costumes by Tyler Kinney and Sound Design by John Stone.

When Annabel and Harry realize that they should be on the same team instead of nipping at each other's heels, they share a touching moment in singing "Nice." Ms. Milanovich and Mr. Barbato show good chemistry that has been well earned.

Jade Wheeler as Dominique
Andrew Barbato as Harry
Stewart Evan Smith, Jr. as Ensemble member
John O'Neil as the Lucky Stiff
"Lucky Stiff"
Stoneham Theatre
Through September 25th

This fun confection of a musical will run through September 25th at Stoneham Theatre. Let's hope that it is in the cards for you to see this show.

Stoneham Theatre Website

Enjoy!

Al