Theater critic Peter Filichia of the Star-Ledger is more tickled by the Two River Theater Co.’s production of ‘The Underpants‘ than he is by some of the choices made by Steve Martin, who adapted the play from ‘Die Hosen,’ a 1910 German work by Carl Sternheim.
Some of Martin’s gaglines don’t hit the mark, Filichia says.
From the review:
No question that he’s cheapened the play by adding references to flatulence, urination, constipation and diarrhea. Some say the greatest sex organ is between the ears. If so, Martin didn’t always use his. What had been a souffle of a play is now a little heavier.
Still, Filichia praises the production as “fun-filled” (while mistakenly referring to the play’s director, Jackson Gay, as “he.”)
From the review:
Farce must be fast, too, and Gay makes certain that the 95 intermissionless minutes fly by at breakneck pace with physical requirements that could cause a performer to break his neck. A somersault, a spanking, banging into walls, falls to the floor, tripping down the stairs, crawling on a catwalk are all in place. There’s undoubtedly plenty of bruises under these actors’ underpants.
