“CHARLEY’S AUNT,” through Sept. 14, Hale Center Theater Orem, 225 W. 400 North, Orem (801-226-8600 or haletheater.org)
OREM — In short, Charley’s aunt isn’t Charley’s aunt.
A 126-year-old British comedy which plays on the trope of a ridiculous person impersonating a serious one, Hale Center Theater Orem’s new production of “Charley’s Aunt” will have audiences laughing through to its closing scene.
Jack Chesney and Charles Wykham, two upperclass, gimmick-prone Oxford students, find themselves “soft-hearted” with love. Both plan to propose. But since their Victorian-era girlfriends won’t stay in Chesney’s room without a chaperone, their success depends on the appearance of Charley’s aunt, Donna Lucia Delores, a wealthy widow from Brazil (i.e., “where the nuts are”).
Of course, when Donna Lucia sends news of a late arrival, the boys improvise. Their equally lovestruck friend, Babbs, happens to be trying on a woman’s costume for his theater class. Poor timing strikes, and Babbs finds himself reluctantly impersonating Donna Lucia as a lineup of unexpected visitors, from money-seeking suitors to the real Donna Lucia herself, appear, weaving an increasingly complicated network of pseudo-relationships.
In Hale Center Theater Orem’s tight-knit, theater-in-the-round production, the action extends past the center of the stage to include the audience: You’ll feel like a member of the Victorian upper class on the outskirts of a set designed with all the care of a private home. And, Hale’s directors made excellent use of the theater’s integrated setup. Those seated in the front row were proposed and confessed to as part of the play’s creative direction, while those near the stairs watched actors enter, exit and play on the steps beside them.
While the script was funny, the success of Hale’s production depended largely on the hilarious acting and direction. Audiences laughed as the gold-digging Stephen Spettigue continuously chased “Delores,” presumed millionaire aunt, in hopes of marriage. Other memorable points in the chase include an air-kiss that was caught and aggressively stomped on, an ongoing “tango” between the two men, and the various manners by which Babbs appeared on and tried to leave the stage (and, at one point, his unfortunate female costume).
Other actors, too, embraced the script’s comedy. Kitty’s humorous, textured response to Jack’s proposal put a spin on the boringly proper Victorian caricature the audience expected her to be. Jack Chesney’s loud, comically British performance was exciting to watch, while Ela Delahay’s dreamlike longing for the man in drag seemed humorously sincere.
When Donna Lucia finally appeared on the set, her warm, wise mannerisms stood in sharp contrast to the unhinged, tactless “Delores” standing in her place. Watching the third act unravel was fun, but what was even more fun were the dramatic, comedic surprises the actors threw in as the plot unfolded.
A lighthearted, lovingly crafted production, Hale Center Theater Orem’s “Charley’s Aunt” will take audiences young and old on a memorable comedic adventure to Victorian-era Oxford.
Content advisory: “Charley’s Aunt” is suitable for all ages.