'Run For Your Wife' now on stage

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After seven weeks of preparation, Curtain Players' production of "Run For Your Wife" begins its three-week run Oct. 23. From a script written by British playwright Ray Cooney that was first performed in the early '80s, "Run" is a comedy that considers the effects of lies and miscommunication.

Cab driver John Smith (Nick Lingnofski) is a Londoner that leads a considerably docile existence—aside from the fact that he's married to two women (Ashley Greene and Laura Miller) living in separate parts of the city. When an accident threatens to throw Smith's status quo into upheaval, he and friend Stanley (Ben Hackney) attempt to figure out a way to resolve the tricky situation.

Metromix spoke with Tim Browning, the show's director, about the original play and what makes this performance of "Run For Your Wife" fresh.

Why did Curtain Players choose "Run For Your Wife" as its latest production?
The theater chose it because it's a classic British farce. It's very much a 'shut your brain off at the door' kind of comedy. It's also a masterpiece. Of this genre, they don't get any tighter or better than this. I've seen the show before, and when I found that they were doing it, I absolutely expressed interest in directing it. I'm very interested in farce lately. I directed a production of "Scapin," which is an old French farce. I just wanted to give a shot at a classic British one with four doors slamming and people trying to cover up lies and telling more lies to cover up those lies. That whole theater of the uncomfortable has always been interesting to me. [Laughs]

"Run For Your Wife" has been around for decades, and there have been many productions. Have you seen any past performances?
Yeah, I saw it in '91. I was working at a theater, and ["Run For Your Wife"] was the production coming into the theater when we finished. I got to see some rehearsals and actually ended up getting engaged to one of the women in that show. [Laughs] I saw that show a lot, and it never stopped being interesting to me. I probably saw it six or seven times. I've seen other productions of it, too. I think that this one is right up there. Top to bottom, it's a very good cast and very well-done. Come and see it!

What about your production sets it apart from others you've seen?
This production is a little sexier. Not raunchy, but a little hotter than most productions you'll see. It's a little hipper, too. British farces tend to be a little bit stodgy. This is a little more rock 'n' roll, a little more fun.

What were the most important elements you took into account when putting it together?
We have really wonderful actors in the play. I knew I wasn't going to get a spot-on perfect British dialect—I didn't have time to coach that—but what I did want to emphasize was that these words not be paraphrased in the least. The words are so important to the timing and the flavor of the piece that you [shouldn't] change a phrase from 'I'm beginning to see the benefits' to 'I'm beginning to appreciate the attractions.' That was part of it. I've changed the gender of one of the characters. That's been a challenge. The biggest thing that I've been emphasizing is that this play is funny. If we sat down with scripts and read this play for an audience, they would laugh. We don't need to do anything else to this play to make it funny. What we need to do is create that sense of thrill that you get when you watch 'Meet the Parents' and you see Ben Stiller. It's a silly comedy, but you really do care about Ben Stiller when he's in this mess, and you want him to get the girl in the end even though he's burned the house down and killed the cat or whatever. It's [about] trying to get that sense that this is funny to the audience, this is not funny to us as a cast. Even though the audience will laugh, we'll only be really successful if they care that this guy gets out of the mess that he's in.

Tell me about the highlights of the play. What are the moments you're most proud of?
The chemistry between the two actors. This is one of those plays where the sidekick is actually a bigger role than the main role. The chemistry that these two gentlemen [Ben Hackney and Nick Lingnofski] have developed, coming in from different backgrounds in terms of the type of work they've done in the past [has] been really special and fun to watch. Plus, the process of it. Everybody's been so incredibly positive the whole time. It's been a really great work environment and a culture where everybody is willing to do what it takes without worrying about looking silly. It's a good cast.
Also, the way the play moves. When you see it, you'll see the set is not a couch in the middle of the stage. What's happened is that we've created this show that's very circular in the way that it moves around this island in the middle of the stage which harks back to restoration comedy, which was always very circular and curvy. I'd like to say that I'm a genius and I did it on purpose, but it happened accidentally. It's been a blast.

"Run for Your Wife" opens 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23 and runs through Nov. 8 at the Curtain Players Theatre, 5691 Harlem Road, Galena. Tickets are $14 for adults and $12 for students and seniors. To purchase tickets visit the Curtain Players Web site.