'Fuddy Meers' cast excels in this dark comedy

By PETER HECK pheck@thekentcountynews.com
Published: The Kent County News, Thursday, August 19, 2010 11:47 AM CDT

Fuddy Meers, now playing at Church Hill Theatre, starts off looking like a sweet family comedy, with a couple of small problems such as mom's amnesia and the son's teenage rebellion to add spice to the story.

Then a masked man crawls out from under the bed, and everything gets steadily weirder – both funnier and darker – as the script unfolds. The play, directed by Bonny Hill, is one of the most unusual productions CHT has put on in recent memory.

Fuddy Meers, which saw its New York debut in 1999, is described by its author David Lindsay-Abaire as "basically a whodunit." But instead of a detective, we have an apparently ordinary housewife, Claire, who suffers from amnesia. Each morning she wakes up needing to relearn everything about herself and her past. It's an intriguing premise, used in several books and movies before, but here it sets off a particularly wild ride.

Claire's loving husband Richard has created a book of critical information to help her with the process of remembering, and shortly after the play opens he hands it to her. But the masked man who crawls out from under the bed challenges everything her husband has told her. Informing Claire that he is her brother Zach, he goes on to say that her husband Richard is a monster, and that he, Zach, has come to rescue her. Suddenly both Claire and the audience must try to figure out which of the contradictory stories is the truth – and if anyone can really be trusted.

The plot becomes incredibly complicated, with most of the characters hiding secrets that only slowly come out. Contradictions abound, and even at the end not all the loose ends are fully connected. There are several convenient coincidences as the play unfolds, although, given the general wackiness of the characters and the confusion about their true stories, it is probably just as well not to pay too much attention to fine points of plot consistency.

The seven-character cast is excellent with no sub-par performances. Amy Moredock plays Claire as a sunny personality, trusting people but genuinely puzzled by the odd things they keep telling her. Moredock projects a likeability that keeps the audience on Claire's side, even as her past life seems to turn darker and darker.

Wally Smith, last seen at CHT in Laughter on the 23rd Floor, is Richard, Claire's husband. He plays the character with just enough smarminess to signal that there's something untrustworthy behind his too-nice surface. Smith makes good use of a faux-naïve persona, so that when Richard drops revelations about a much seedier past, they land with special impact.

Kyle Lindenberger appeared as the title character in the Queen Anne's County High School production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. For his CHT debut, he plays Kenny, Claire's snarling teenage son. Despite being stoned for much of the play, the character seems to have a firmer grasp of reality than most of his elders – especially his father, whom he clearly resents.

Wade Garrett, one of the comic treasures of the local theater community, plays a character identified as "the limping man," in the script, and by everyone else as Zach. He uses his skill at physical comedy to great effect here, making the most of the character's numerous oddities, including a lisp and a mutilated ear, in addition to the limp.

Steven Arnold, the executive director of CHT, takes a turn on stage as Millett, a thuggish dimwit who speaks through a foulmouthed sock puppet he wears on one hand. He and Zach have done prison time, and have apparently escaped together. However, as the plot evolves, a gentle man emerges from beneath the rough surface of Millett. And it soon becomes clear that what the puppet says, however shocking, is true.

Heidi, described in the script as "a tough woman in uniform," first appears as a police officer who pulls over Richard as he and Kenny are searching for Claire. The character, who like almost everyone else in the play turns not out to be what she says she is at first, is played by Jane Terebey, who brings appropriate nervous energy to the role.

Carolyn Hailey plays the challenging role of Gertie, Claire's mother. The character has suffered a stroke that leaves her speech almost incomprehensible. It is one of her lines – a slurred mispronunciation of "funny mirrors" – that gives the play its title and its main metaphor. She may be the only one in the cast with nothing particular to hide. Ironically, she cannot make herself understood except in brief bursts. Yet her determination to lead a normal life gives the character an admirable strength.

The play's language, it should be noted, is full of taboo words. Parents may not want to bring young children, and anyone who is offended by frequent "f-bombs" is probably not going to enjoy Fuddy Meers. Those who aren't bothered by rough language are likely to find a good deal to reward them. The play drew gales of laughter from the opening night audience, and rightly so.

Director Hill said during intermission that the play presented a number of interesting challenges, among them keeping the main characters likeable even as the frightening details of their past come into play. As funny as the play can be, the painful nature of most of the characters' histories is impossible to ignore. Fuddy Meers touches on sensitive issues including violence, physical abuse, dishonesty and criminality. Its explorations of the link between laughter and pain create multiple layers of meaning. The play strikes a rare balance between the comic and the serious. One might want to see Fuddy more than once.

Arnold, speaking in his capacity as theater manager, said he hopes Fuddy Meers will reach out to non-traditional audiences for CHT. He said that one of his goals is expanding his audience beyond the regular community theater crowd by bringing in works outside the core repertory. CHT's next production, The Rocky Horror Show around Halloween, is another step in the same direction, he said.

Fuddy Meers runs through Aug. 29, with Friday and Saturday shows at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 2 p.m. Tickets are $18 for adults, $10 for students; there is an additional discount for CHT members.

For reservations or further information, call 410-758-1331 or visit www.churchilltheatre. org.