Like most far-fetched farces, to say that Ken Ludwig’s “Leading Ladies” relies on a willing suspension of disbelief is putting it mildly. To wit: In one early scene from Georgia Ensemble Theatre’s rendition of the play, leading men Robin Bloodworth and Allen Dillon stand side by side — the first taller and stockier and white, the second shorter and slighter and black — and when one of them manages to keep a moderately straight face as he quips, “We look so much alike!,” the line gets a big, if obvious, laugh.
But that's not the half of it. The time is 1952, and Leo (Bloodworth) and Jack (Dillon) are down-on-their-luck Shakespearean actors touring various Moose lodges across the country. They initially hatch a scheme to pose as the long-lost nephews poised to inherit a small fortune from a dying heiress. What is soon discovered is that "Max" and "Steve" are actually just nicknames for the old woman's nieces, Maxine and Stephanie.
That there can be absolutely no mistaking either of the cross-dressing co-stars as very convincing women probably goes without saying. And, of course, that’s all part of the show’s inherent joke. With pun intended, “Leading Ladies” is a broad comedy in more ways than one, written by a veritable master of the nonsensical genre (Ludwig’s previous efforts include such crowd-pleasing hits as “Lend Me a Tenor” and “Moon Over Buffalo”).
Director James Donadio’s Ensemble production gets off to an amenable start. No sooner have the house lights dimmed than a late-arriving couple barges into the theater, disrupting a row of the audience while looking for their seats, and then leaving again before Leo and Jack even take the stage — something planned but perhaps unexpected. During a pre-show follow-the-bouncing-ball sing-along, a few other Moose members planted in the auditorium also file out, more interested in hitting a buffet line than partaking of the “culture” and “civilization” of a Shakespeare performance (such as it is).
Clever little touches like those subside, once Ludwig’s contrived plotline takes over and segues into more typical slapstick mode. But Donadio has cast the show quite well. The fine Dillon is an Atlanta newcomer, and Bloodworth’s long career on the local scene includes more than a few Shakespearean roles, so it’s especially amusing to watch him sending up some of those plays, however fleetingly — and his Julia Child-like vocal quality as Maxine is pretty funny, to boot.
Steadily holding their own in supporting parts: both Caroline Ficken and Casey Gardner acquit themselves nicely as potentially superfluous romantic interests for the two co-stars; the ever-likable Steve Hudson also excels as an increasingly dubious rival; and Suzanne Roush (as the dotty aunt), Rial Ellsworth (as the family doctor), and Blake Fountain (as his oblivious son) make the most of their relatively underwritten characters.
Stephanie Polhemus’ scenery is deliberately designed to resemble the somewhat shabby sets that might accompany Leo and Jack on their low-budget road tour. And Alicia Kot’s costumes are at once fanciful and yet functional, too, for all the inevitable quick changes that ensue as the two men get deeper into the comical mess they create.
“Leading Ladies” may not be Shakespeare — or even Ludwig at his best — but it is what it is, mindlessly enough.
THEATER REVIEW
“Leading Ladies”
Through March 8. 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays; 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays; 4 p.m. Saturdays; 2:30 p.m. Sundays. $27-$42. Roswell Cultural Arts Center, 950 Forrest St., Roswell. 770-461-1260, get.org.
Bottom line: Check your brain at the door.
