A Fox on the Fairway Scores a Hole in One

The newest hilarious romp, A Fox on the Fairway at Signature Theatre in Arlington, Virginia by Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor), is full of laughs from the first tee to the final hole.

The story, delivered in classic 1940s British farce style, pits Bingham, a golf club manager (Jeff McCarthy) who has lost the annual inter-club tournament against his arch-rival golf club for the past five years in a row.  But this year things will change.  He has a secret ringer, a newly joined member who’s close to a scratch player. confident of winning, he makes a huge bet with his rival managers, one he definitely can’t afford to lose.

At the last minute, he discovers he’s been fooled by the loud-mouthed and outrageous golf-themed sweater wearing manager (Andrew Long) of the other club and loses his top player.  Needing to find a replacement quickly, he bends the rules a bit with the help of the club’s hard-drinking and over-sexed Board Member Pamela (Holly Twyford).

They select his new and highly-excitable male assistant Justin (Aubrey Deeker,) a par golfer who’s just started that day. But Justin has a huge anxiety problem that develops only when he’s under pressure or becomes upset.

Later in the morning, after Justin’s ditzy and Greek mythology loving girlfriend Louise (played by Meg Steede) accepts his proposal, she quickly loses the engagement ring, a family heirloom.  Justin goes off the deep end, which causes the engagement to shank and his golf game to crumble.

When Bingham’s wife Muriel (Valerie Leonard) discovers the huge bet involves not just cash but her beloved antique shop, tensions flair all the while Bingham is attempting to start a romance that’s been burning inside him since high school with Pamela.

Along the way, it’s a rapid-fire madcap tour-de-course of secret love, mistaken romance, miscommunications, slamming doors, dreadful attire, emotional mulligans and silly shenanigans.  The highlights include the physical comedy and timing of the young couple in love, with Aubrey who plays the semi-clueless assistant perfectly, and Steede who takes her physical comedy to a Master’s level.  While the cast is truly solid, one other performance by Twyford was so well acted, you suspect she’s actually drunk during part of the performance.  Her comedic timing was flawless.

The last three minutes of the play are a whirlwind of frenzied, mad-capped silliness that leaves the audience gasping for breath from non-stop belly laughing ready to start another round.

A Fox on the Fairway — Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, Virginia  22206 (Writers Writing about Writing – A Review of [title of show]___lat___38.840894___lng___-77.088661___address___4200 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, , United States" href="http://www.planeteye.com/Place/Signature-Theatre+1093671.aspx?refcon=wp&refid=0" target="_blank">map)

Dates – through November 14, 2010.

Tickets - $50.00 – $76.00 and are available online, through Ticketmaster or at the box office.

Nearest Metro Subway Station – Pentagon City – Blue and Yellow lines, then a $7.00 – $8.00 taxi ride.  Look for a cab in front of the Ritz Carlton Hotel.

Parking – Two free parking garages are located across the street and behind the theatre.

Images - Courtesy of Signature Theatre – photos by Scott Suchman.  Top – Cast of Ken Ludwig’s A Fox on the Fairway, Bottom – Holly Twyford as Pamela.

The author received complimentary admission to the performance; the opinions expressed herein are solely those of the author.