ANNA MARIA – Director Mike Lusk’s talented cast brings plenty of laughs as the Island Players’ first performance of their historic 75th season hits audiences in the funny bone with “Farce of Nature,” the first of five plays in the 2023-24 season.
The story takes place in the Ozarks area of Arkansas. Wanelle Wilburn (Janet Salem) and D. Gene Wilburn (Rick Kopp) are an older couple who run a fishing lodge that usually isn’t filled to capacity. Their grown son, Ty (Jeffery Allen Steiger), is away in Chicago, trying to become an actor, and picked an interesting time to come home.
Ty’s girlfriend, Jenna Sealy (Jennifer Kwiatkowski), lives with them at the “Reel ‘Em Inn.” Wanelle’s sister, Maxie (Laura Morales), an incompetent cop trying to get back in the good graces of her department, lives there too. This week, she’s been put in charge of keeping a witness safe, which will prove more difficult than she bargained for. His name is Carmine DeLuca (Joseph Mammina), and his testimony against a mafia associate named Sonny Barbosa (Michael Sacco) sent him to jail for five years. Maxie decides that the best way to keep Carmine safe is to have him stay at the lodge.
Carmine hates the outdoors and wants nothing more than to get back to Chicago away from trees, wild animals and everything else he hates about “the sticks,” but tries to be a good sport, even when Ty comes home to his parents, followed by both his employer, Lola Barbosa (Sharon Bartley), who runs a Chicago dinner theater, and her dangerous husband, Sonny.
To provide much more information would be a spoiler, but pay close attention to the painting D. Gene gifted his wife, Wanelle; it should be given co-star credit in this story that is well acted by one of the larger casts of any play in recent Island Players history.
“Farce of Nature” begins a bit slow, but quickly evolves into a laugh-a-minute solid comedy that leaves the audience wondering what could possibly happen next. Will they all be killed by wild animals? Everybody is having an affair, or are they? What’s that smell? And where do they keep all that vodka? All are questions that unravel as a talented cast nails a well-written play by Jones, Hope and Wooten.
“Farce of Nature” runs through Sunday, Sept. 24 at the Island Playhouse, 10009 Gulf Drive, Anna Maria. Tickets are available online for $30 or at the box office for $28. Box office hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Order by phone during box office hours by calling 941-778-5755.
