The whimsy of P.G. Wodehouse is one of the stickiest of all wickets in terms of comic performance. Anyone who has survived Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “By Jeeves” may now nod in grave assent.
No one ever read Wodehouse for his narratives, however scintillatingly nutty. He’s most valuable for his first names (Pongo, Oofy, Barmy) and for passages such as this, from the Drones Club story “Uncle Fred Flits By”: “. . . Even an uncle within a short jump of the looney bin couldn’t very well get into much trouble in a suburb. I mean, you know what suburbs are. They don’t, as it were, offer the scope.”
City Lit’s “Cocktail Time” is an up-and-down affair, adapted by Page Hearn from Wodehouse’s 1958 novel. It follows Uncle Fred as he drags his aghast nephew into a series of misadventures, set off by a well-aimed slingshot and a ripe top hat. In director Kevin Theis’ production, the antics have their moments. They also have their pop-eyed, exhausting streak. In gaming terms, Wodehouse is a shuttlecock; the material doesn’t need a sledgehammer.
John Harrell, Scott Kennedy and Thomas M. Shea get off a good one now and then in various roles, as does Don Bender as Uncle Fred. At one point, Bender strolls on stage and blows a kiss toward the lighting booth, wherein resides stage manager StephenieMoser. Decked out in a swank emerald cocktail dress, Moser’s the most glamorous thing in the show.
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“Cocktail Time”
When: Through Jan. 12
Where: City Lit Theater Company, 1020 W. Bryn Mawr Ave.
Phone: 773-293-3682
