REVIEW: Silly, Fun Farce “Lucky Stiff” Gleefully Entertaining at Circa ‘21
It’s hard not to like “Lucky Stiff,” the fun, fizzy musical farce now playing at Circa ’21 Dinner Playhouse, Rock Island, in its Quad Cities premiere.
In dark, depressing, heavy times like this (in an Arctic winter), this 1988 show by acclaimed Broadway veterans Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (“Ragtime,” “Anastasia,” “Once on This Island” and “Seussical”), is a perfect antidote – light, colorful, profoundly silly and aware of its own boundless ridiculousness.
“Lucky Stiff” – breezily and affectionately directed by Circa veteran Ashley Becher – literally takes us away from our cares (even though it’s centered on a death) by setting the sunny, silly action in the romantic warmth of Monte Carlo.
Bobby Becher and Brad Hauskins in “Lucky Stiff.”
I love the color palette of the bright, vacation-y set by Becky Meissen: a riot of purple, aqua, pink, turquoise and green, fittingly with lots of doors (as befits a farce)
In the murder mystery musical (which really isn’t a mystery since we learn the accidental killer early on), Harry Witherspoon in England receives the unexpected news that he’s received $6 million from the will of his recently deceased New Jersey uncle (shot by his lover), but only if he takes him on a vacation to Monte Carlo.
Uncle Anthony is dead and embalmed (though not exactly stiff, but often slumped in a wheelchair donning sunglasses and a hat), and if Harry fails at his task, the money will instead go to the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn.
“Lucky Stiff” features (L-R) Kyle DeFauw, Cara Chumbley, Paul Gregory Nelson, Bobby Becher and Brad Hauskins.
However, also hot on the trail of Uncle Anthony’s money is Annabel, a representative of the dog home who is eager to see Harry slip up and fail to meet the strict schedule set out in the will (but how in the world would the uncle know??), and the ditzy, big-haired Rita, with whom Anthony embezzled $6 million behind her husband’s back.
The eager tail that’s wagging behind Rita is her equally silly brother Vinnie, who has been blamed for the crime. With mistaken identities, love interests, disguises, farcical chases, a cast of eccentric characters to prove Uncle Anthony is alive, and, of course, an omnipresent corpse, “Lucky Stiff” is an offbeat, madcap, frenetic romp of a show – while clearly not always making sense, but giving us exactly what we need.
Circa favorite Bobby Becher (coming directly from his triumph in the recent holiday show, “White Christmas”) is ideal as an audience stand-in, the frazzled, confused, put-upon Harry.
After the appropriately zany opening “Something Funny’s Going On,” with Brad Hauskins as the uncle hitting the floor, and lots of flashlights, we meet the nerdy schlub Harry, with Becher’s buoyant, sprightly song “Mr. Witherspoon’s Friday Night,” lamenting being stuck doing inventory in his shoe store.
While Becher’s British accident isn’t always reliable or consistent, we learn Harry somehow never met his uncle and he’s his only living relative. The ludicrous, wacky story features outsized personalities, particularly Rita – the always dependable, huge-voiced Sarah Hayes, in a big, frizzy blonde wig – who is legally blind, and her eye-doctor brother Vinnie, hapless and hanging on this crazy ride for dear life, perfectly played by Jeremy Littlejohn.
Sarah Hayes and Jeremy Littlejohn play brother and sister in “Luycky Stiff.”
Harry’s foe (and eventual romantic interest) Annabel is an excellent Megan Mistretta – in her Circa debut, she played a different role in “Lucky Stiff” in summer 2024 at a Missouri theater. In the duet “Dog Vs. You,” Mistretta reveals Annabel as both mousy and threatening. Harry actually hates dogs, and Annabel is very determined to win his uncle’s millions for the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn, which is on the verge of closing.
In real life, Mistretta has trained with Upright Citizens Brigade, is a certified make-up artist, and has volunteered with a dog rescue — making this role especially meaningful. She has fostered six dogs at home.
One of many “Lucky Stiff” highlights is her tender, heartfelt solo, “Times Like This,” a gently innocent hymn to the beauty and joys of a dog (a prime line is, “Unlike certain people, you can teach him how to stay”). Mistretta shows off a powerful, radiant singing voice.
The gleefully, goofily entertaining first act also has a starry scene at the Monte Carlo nightclub, with a swoon-worthy croon by the great emcee (the smooth, tuxedoed Kyle DeFauw) and the star Dominique (the wonderful Cara Chumbley), a very big personality. Dominique (with a sweeping blonde up-do and strapless sparkly dress) and Annabel are opposite women – like Technicolor versus black-and-white.
In one of few energetic dance numbers in the show (also choreographed by Ashley Becher) is Act I’s “A Day Around Town,” which includes a brief undersea scene with lots of bubbles and is very cute.
Brad Hauskins and Sarah Hayes.
“Lucky Stiff” isn’t exactly the musical version of “Weekend at Bernie’s,” since it literally premiered the year before – the musical opened off-Broadway April 1, 1988 and “Bernie’s” (a black comedy about two insurance men who pretend their boss is alive after he was killed by a hitman) opened in 1989.
In Act II, Annabel and Harry fall for each other (natch) and their “Nice” duet has pretty harmonies. There’s a bizarre dream sequence, followed by the two of them in bed. Becher shines in his solo, “A Woman in My Bathroom.”
To avoid spoilers, I’ll not attempt to explain the tortured plot twist toward the show end, and I could not even try to understand why Littlejohn and Chumbley show up in maid outfits at the hotel room, but hey, it’s funny!
Bobby Becher, Cara Chumbley and Brad Hauskins in “Lucky Stiff.”
Theater people are often advised to “knock ‘em dead” and “Lucky Stiff” accomplishes this, and the always enjoyable Circa ’21 Bootleggers show off in a killer pre-show, with a clever medley of hit songs about death (including “Don’t Fear the Reaper,” “Death of a Bachelor” and “Only the Good Die Young,” but no “Killer Queen”?).
“Lucky Stiff” teaches us to make the most of life (and apparently death), and will be resurrected at Circa ’21 through March 7 with performances on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m., Sundays at 5:30 p.m. and Wednesday matinées at 1:15 p.m. Pre-show entertainment featuring the theatre’s wait staff the Bootleggers also will precede all performances. Ticket prices are $70 for the Friday-through-Sunday productions and $63 for the Wednesday matinee and evening productions.
Reservations are available online at circa21.com or at the Circa ’21 ticket office at 1828 3rd Ave., Rock Island. You may also call 309-786-7733 ext. 2 to secure tickets.
The new Circa show features (L-R) Jeremy Littlejohn, Brad Hauskins, Paul Gregory Nelson, Bobby Becher, Sarah Hayes and Megan Mistretta.
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