Beginning with a pre-show speech by KCPT Artistic Director Denise Winter that was a performance unto its own, the opening night of John Patrick Shanley's "Where's My Money?" was a raging success all the way through the post-show party, when Winter raised a toast to Director Lawrason Driscoll for bringing this work to her attention.
The main theme of "Money" isn't about money at all. "Money" is about marriage, choices and the guilt that hangs with someone long after a poor decision has been made. But this show is no downer; in fact, it is absolutely hilarious, as Shanley portrays almost every conceivable topic of marital discord and takes it all over the top through the two couples: Henry (Scott Nolette) and Natalie (Heather Poulsen), and Sydney (Richard Clairmont) and Marcia Marie (Denise Fleener).
Each and every scene of this show is riveting, starting with the chance meeting of Celeste (Michelle Hensel) and Natalie in a Soho coffee shop. As their wonderfully flawed characters catch up and compare lives, the audience is given a glimpse of what is yet to come. Hensel particularly shines in her monologue describing her affair with a married man that "smells like murder." At the end of the scene, when Tommy (Jim Jackson) shows up, suspense just drips off the stage.
While it seems that Celeste is the one with the issues in the first scene, we find that Natalie has some of her own in scene two, when her request for a joint checking account with her lawyer husband Henry (Scott Nolette) escalates into a fight. Henry responds by seeking advice from his attorney mentor Sydney (Richard Clairmont), who is hardly the paragon of fidelity and harmonious partnership. It is in this scene that "Money" reaches its peak, leaving the audience breathless right before the intermission.
If you didn't know better, you'd think the part of Sydney was written for Clairmont - and oh, does he ever have fun with this role. The way he moves around the stage while espousing about spouses is absolutely spellbinding. Clairmont's experiences on Seattle stages over the past few years have obviously served him well, and it's a real pleasure to see him back on the KCPT stage.
Then, just when you think it can't get any better, along comes Scene 4's rumpus between Sydney and his wife, Marcia Marie. You can almost get whiplash as the repartee is flung back and forth between them. As one of the best character actors in the area, Fleener gives as good as she gets with Clairmont.
In case you can't tell, I loved everything about this play - the script, the acting, the sets (Keith Matkins, Ian Keith), the lighting (Adam Matthew), the music (composed by David Schroeder), the costumes (Ginger McNew), and hair and makeup (Angela Brasier-Agnew) - and will definitely attend a second time just for the fun of it before the run is over.
How lucky we are to have such talent in PT, and even luckier still to have so much of it all together in front of us in this stellar production!
Key City Playhouse is located at 419 Washington St. Performances continue through July 12 at 7 p.m. Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and 7 p.m. Sundays. General admission is $15; $10 for students. Pay what you wish on Thursday, June 26. Advance tickets are available at full price and donations are accepted at the door for the remaining seats on a first-come, first-served basis.
All advance ticket sales are handled by Quimper Sound, 230 Taylor St., 385-2454. For more about the show or schedule, call the KCPT show information line at 385-7396 or visit www.KeyCityPublicTheatre.org.
