Sutter Street Theatre

The setting is 19th century San Francisco, and a wealthy man seems to be dying. At least that’s what his lawyer, accountant, and an old miser believe. And they believe that they can persuade him to name one of them as his sole heir – if they just give him enough gifts. But Foxwell J. Sly is a con man who is not remotely close to dying, and that’s the setting for a this delightful comedy. It was written by Larry Gelbart (of MASH fame), and based on the 1606 play, Volpone by Ben Jonson.

This production is wonderfully entertaining in the intimate environment of Sutter Street Theatre. The writing is witty throughout, but more than that, it is genuinely funny, and the opening night audience were laughing throughout the show. One would have to call this a farce because the characters were so exaggerated – like so many in Charles Dickens’ novels –but they were brought to life by some outstanding comic acting – truly among the best I’ve seen – with brilliant timing and clever touches from the director. Much of the humor is what might be called “adult,” so it’s not the kind of thing I’d take my grandchildren to see. But for myself, I wouldn’t have missed it: it was great fun.