RVP OPENS 85TH SEASON WITH
THE FOX ON THE FAIRWAY
By Ken Ludwig
The Fox on the Fairway is a hilarious farce by the incomparable Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor and Leading Ladies). The Fox on the Fairway takes us on a romp which pulls the rug out from underneath the stuffy members of a private country club. This play is a charmingly nutty adventure about love, life, and man’s eternal love affair with golf.
Bingham (Louis Schilling) President of the Quail Valley Country Club, is in a difficult position, less by finding out that his newly hired hand, Justin (Derek Jepsen) is in love with Louise (Lydia Singleton), the waitress at the clubhouse, but by finding out that the golfer he thought would play for his club has switched sides – recruited by his counterpart and opponent, the cocky and arrogant Dickie (Javier Alarcon), and the huge bet he had foolishly wagered is likely to be lost. Fortunately, he discovers that Justin is actually quite a good golfer and finagles his nomination.
Justin does not disappoint and has a huge lead, when close to its end the tournament is interrupted by bad weather. When Justin learns that Louise has lost the engagement ring he gave her – she accidentally flushed it down the toilet – he comes unglued. The game resumes the next day, but Justin loses the lead and, upset, takes an unfortunate swing, breaking his arm. Bingham is desperate, and the appearance of his wife Muriel (Sumi Naendran) complicates the matter, as she catches him much too close to Pamela (Eileen Fisher), his sex-starved Vice-President.
Can Bingham find a replacement for Justin to win the game, win the wager, and get his life in order? Come and see this madcap comedy at Ross Valley Players, and find out.
Julianna Rees, the Director, knows how to keep the machinery percolating –The Fox on the Fairway barrels along. Ken Rowland’s clubhouse set is suitably sporty, and the costumes by Michael A. Berg are swanky.
The Fox on the Fairway knocked one straight off the tee and hit a hole-in-one, as it mixes golf, romance and fashion, keeping the audience in stitches. The Fox on the Fairway began with a preview on Thursday, September 11th and will run through Sunday, October 12th. Thursday performances are at 7:30 p.m.; Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m.; and Sunday matinee at 2 p.m. All performances take place at the Barn Theatre, home of the Ross Valley Players – 30 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross CA. For tickets, call 415-456-9555, ext. 1, or visit www.RossValleyPlayers.com.
Coming up next at Ross Valley Players will be Jane Austen’s Persuasion, adapted by Jennifer LeBlanc, directed by Mary Ann Rodgers, from November 14th through December 14th, 2014.
Flora Lynn Isaacson
