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Cast excels in Wheaton Drama's 'Charley's Aunt'

The success or failure of the play Charley's Aunt depends on the strength of the actor portraying the title character. Fortunately for the Wheaton Drama troupe, which presents the comedy through Oct. 8, Chris Richardson excels in the role of Charley's aunt and the rest of the cast adds superlative support.

The British farce, written by Brandon Thomas in 1892, has been performed countless times by professional and amateur theatrical companies over the last 100-plus years. Director Charles A. Berglund has updated the show to the 1920s apparently to give theater-goers a new spin on an old tale in case they may have seen prior productions of the classic comedy.

The plot centers on two Oxford University students, Jack Chesney (played by Paul LeVan) and Charley Wykeham (played by Peter Lemongelli) who are in love with Kitty Verdun (Cynthia Dingess) and Amy Spettigue (Holly Robison), respectively. Since unchaperoned meetings of the opposite sex are frowned upon even in the updated version of the play, Jack and Charley come up with a plan that might garner them some time alone with the objects of their love.

By coincidence, Charley's aunt, a wealthy widow from Brazil, whom he has never met, plans to pay Charley a visit. The boys plan a luncheon with the aunt in the hopes of getting a few moments alone with their girls to express their sentiments. In addition, the two students invite a fellow student, Lord Fancourt Babberley, also known as "Babbs," (played by Chris Richardson) to help entertain the aunt while they entertain their girls. The girls accept the luncheon invitation and, despite the arrival of Jack's father, Sir Francis Chesney (played by Tom Viskocil) with distressing news that his finances have dwindled and he and Jack will have to adjust their style of living, things seem to be on course. Jack even suggests that his father woo Charley's aunt and maybe marry into millions of dollars.

Things take an unexpected turn when the aunt, Donna Lucia d' Alvadorez (played by Terri Lopez-Honour) telegraphs that she will not arrive for a few days. The boys are frantic that the girls will not come to lunch if there is no chaperone present. Meanwhile, Babbs is trying on some women's clothing as he prepares for a theatrical review that he is in and Jack and Charley seize the opportunity for Babbs to portray Charley's aunt.

The comedy elevates as Sir Francis Chesney takes Jack's suggestion and starts to court "Donna Lucia." Then, Stephen Spettigue (played by Harold LeBoyer), who is Amy's uncle and Kitty's guardian, arrives unexpectedly and he, too, is charmed by Charley's aunt. Babbs, as Charley's aunt, leads her suitors on a wild chase. Adding to the hilarity is the arrival of the real Donna Lucia d' Alvadorez with her adopted niece, Ela Delahay (played by Cynthia White). Donna Lucia recognizes what is going on and plays along by taking a different name. The resulting confusion, based on lies and mistaken identities, involves much physical comedy with multiple entrances and exits and a lot of running around on stage.

The Wheaton Drama troupe does a fine job of presenting this play. The British accents of all the performers were good, and everyone seemed to stay in character.

Staying in character was especially important for Richardson, who struck the right balance of female/male traits when portraying Charley's aunt. He was not so feminine as to make him a drag queen, yet not so masculine as to make the characters not believe that he really is an elderly female. He seemed to hit the right combination of female attributes without going over the top. Credit director Berglund, who has been involved in other Charley's Aunt productions, for guiding Richardson and helping him attain the correct balance.

The playwright, Brandon Thomas, gave the character of Charley's aunt many funny lines, and Richardson's comedic timing was impressive. He also was very good at the physical comedy. The opening night audience showed its appreciation by thunderous applause for his performance at the curtain calls.

The rest of the cast also excelled, especially Harold LeBoyer as Stephen Spettigue. LeBoyer showed Spettigue's mean-spirited side effectively and then was even better when he is trying to be a charming suitor of Charley's aunt, but comes off smarmy and cloying. It was a delightful portrayal in a mostly supporting role.

Also impressive in a supporting role was Enan Kero as Jack's servant, Brassett. Kero was good at portraying Brassett as being indignant and unimpressed with any of the proceedings going on about him and then equally effective when putting on the airs of stewardship when his role as a servant demands that he respond to authority.

The production's attention to character portrayal was even apparent during the breaks between the acts. With no curtain to hide the scene changes, the stage crew, dressed in black vests and white shirts, acted and interacted as if they were servants at the college. They went about changing the set and acting as if they were part of the play. It was a nice touch that too few audience members noticed or appreciated.

But opening night apprehension may have caught some actors off guard. Some minor problems did occur in the presentation, most of which will probably rectify themselves as the play's run continues.

Most notably were some dropped lines or missed cues in the second act. When Charley's real aunt, Donna Lucia d' Alvadorez (played by Terri Lopez-Honour), and her adopted niece, Ela Delahay (played by Cynthia White), appear on stage for the first time, their initial dialogue included periods of dead space when nothing was going on. One or the other of the actresses was either too slow on a cue or dropped lines completely. As a result, the show dragged a bit in the second act.

Still, audience members who enjoy British farce will enjoy this play. For those who might not normally find this type of humor amusing, they might decide from this production that this genre really is their cup of tea.

Charley's Aunt will be presented at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, and at 3 p.m. Sundays, through Oct. 8 at Wheaton Drama, 111 North Hale Street, Wheaton. Tickets are $13 on Thursdays and $16 on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. To order tickets, call the box office at (630) 260-1820 or visit the web site at www.wheatondrama.org .