OTR Review: Out of Order

Out of Order is a screwball comedy written by Ray Cooney that showcases the antics of a wild bevy of characters and an even wilder plot line. The story begins with a married Conservative Junior Minister, Richard Willey (played by Kristofer Gravning) and his secretary Jane Worthington (Kristine Erwin) as they attempt a clandestine tryst in a posh London hotel. Upon discovery of a dead body (Sebastian Carrington Howell) hanging out of their window, Mr. Willey improvises a tangled web of outright hilarious lies to protect his political reputation and the secret of his adultery. As the evening progresses, the exploits become increasingly outrageous and the characters more complicatedly implicated, leaving the audience confused, exhausted, but still avidly entertained.

Gravning delivers a stand out performance as Richard Willey. In the midst of the plot’s rowdiness, he upholds control onstage and keeps the audience at ease with his wit and charm. I was shocked to learn at the end of the performance that many of his lines were improvised. His confidence and uncanny ability to think on the spot kept the show moving forward and distracted the audience from line fumbles and awkward moments.

Simon Lamb also deserves mention for his compelling performance as George Pigden, Willey’s personal assistant and reluctant partner-in-crime. Lamb’s impressive range of voices and dynamic physicality enables him to deliver many of the show’s best comedic moments. He captures Pigden’s gullible shyness sweetly and at the same time reveals his guile as he manipulates the sexual desires of Pamela Willey (India Doyle) and Gladys Foster (Emma Sutton). Together with Gravning, both actors have a Burt-and-Ernie kind of chemistry that kept the play from dragging and the audience howling with laughter.

In general, I found the female performances to err on the edge of over the top, but each actor was able to mix demureness and hilarity well. Erwin maintains graceful composure as she frantically darts on and off stage and does well playing into the silliness of Willey and Pigden’s absurd scheming. Doyle and Sutton also accomplish this and get many laughs for their voracious promiscuity in the second act.

I must admit that before seeing this show I was not a fan of farce. However, once I accepted that this show was meant to be wacky and exaggerated, I relaxed and was able to really appreciate the comedic talent present on stage. Directors Ulrik Oen and Producer Katya Lvova created an untamed world of foolish lunacy that gives us a much needed break from the melodramatic theatre most of us are used to.

You can tell the actors had a blast performing and enjoyed the process of putting on this show. Everyone laughed off any backstage mishaps and made the audience happy to roll along with the punches. By the end of the show, the audience was not only left with sore abs but a rush of endorphins from two hours spent having pure, unadulterated fun.