"The Exes," an uneven, but humorous new comedy had its Pennsylvania premiere at Pennsylvania Playhouse in Bethlehem, where it continues through Feb. 13.
It was written by New York playwright Lenore Skomal, who says the play was inspired by the style of Noel Coward and the plot deals with the foibles of the upper class.
The story centers around and draws its laughs from the strained relationship between three "exes" and their children. The joke is that the two men were both married and now separated from the same woman “ Mavis. In this play, it is the bad behavior that brings the laughs.
Thomas Mattei plays venture capitalist Richard Killingworth who, on a snowy Christmas Eve in Boston is preparing for the wedding of his daughter to the never-seen Digby.
Richard is quickly established to be a workaholic “ arguing with clients and calling his lawyer on the phone - even on this of all days. It is quickly clear why his marriage broke up. Matteis Richard is so focused on his work as to border on dull.
Shaun Hayes plays Richards best friend and nonstop jokester Dick Wright who is somewhat more appealing, although his wit is often cruel.
Since Dick and Richard both have been married to Mavis, they refer to each other as number 1 and number 2 in one the plays running jokes. Mattei and Hayes give this unusual male bonding an intriguing twist and it is the most interesting relationship in the show.
Mavis, played by Rebecca Pieper, shows up unexpectedly to get Richard to sign divorce papers so she can jet off to Copenhagen and marry her Danish lover Marcel.
Piepers Mavis is a force to be reckoned with, alternating between manipulative and flighty, while looking looks like shes on the prowl in her slit up to there dress. Both men seethe at her presence while she ignores their outrage.
Also unhappy with Mavis arrival is the bride-to-be Victoria, who appears wearing a wedding dress and Ugg boots. Mavis had been her stepmother and helping with wedding plans, when she ran off with Marcel.
Sarah Rice nails the role of spoiled rich girl who wheedles her daddy to get what she wants. She also is holding a huge grudge against Mavis, who wants to see Victoria walk down the aisle but is not welcome at the wedding.
Mavis and Dicks son Garrett also is not thrilled to see his mother. Chris DImperio makes Garrett the most likable of this not-very-likable bunch. One gets the feeling his snarkiness is just the way he is forced to deal with his difficult relatives. Most of the time, DImperio conveys an air of sitting back and watching the goings on around him with amused detachment.
The only person who seems happy to see Mavis is Richards proper British butler/house manager Prim.
Bill Joachims Prim is impossibly stuffy and possessing an acid tongue against those he doesnt like and unbending loyalty to those he does. Joachim has a great sense of comic timing with Prim who has some very wry lines and imbues him with a stiff physicality that works well in the part.
As they all bicker, act one ends with the arrival of the impossibly outrageous Marcel, played with flamboyance by Aidan King. King makes the over-the-top character seem both knowing and naive.
At first Marcel seems goofy and harmless, until he reveals some disturbing information when alone with Richard.
The play ends with some relationships irrevocably broken, while others show the chance of improvement.
Director Mark Stutz has done a good job keeping all the plot lines manageable. Especially fun is the second act slow-motion retelling of the disaster at the wedding.
Skomal will do a talkback with the audience following the January 30 matinee performance.
Performances are 7:30 p.m. Jan. 29, Feb. 4-5 and 11-12; and 3 p.m. Jan. 30, Feb. 6 and 13 at Pennsylvania Playhouse at 390 Illick's Mill Rd, Bethlehem.
All audience members are required to wear masks and seating will be socially distanced.
Tickets are $25, adults; $22, seniors and $15, students.
For information, go to www.paplayhouse.org/tickets, or call 610-865-6665.