Ken Ludwig's humorous play about snooty country club golf tournaments, "The Fox on the Fairway", is playing at the Booth Tarkington Civic Theatre in the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel. Ludwig is also known for his comic plays, "Crazy for You", "Moon Over Buffalo", "Twentieth Century", "The Game's Afoot", and "Sullivan and Gilbert". But Ken Ludwig is most famous for his brilliant witty comedy, "Lend Me a Tenor", produced on Broadway by Andrew Lloyd Webber. It seems Ludwig keeps striving to match the success of "Lend Me a Tenor" but just cannot get over the hump.
His plays all have a touch of "Lend Me a Tenor", because Ken Ludwig is a very witty man, but none are as entertaining. "The Fox on the Fairway" was surprisingly disappointing due to the enormous expectation of a Ken Ludwig play.
Director Robert J. Sorbera pulled out his humorous shenanigans to make the show entertaining. His signature was all over the production. The set and lighting design by Ryan Koharchik were very unique as usual. The special effects were extraordinary, especially toward the end of the show when a golf tournament was in progress.
Jean Childers-Arnold plays the ingenue with gusto. Lynda Goeke exudes authority in her role as the wife of Parrish Williams whose country club snobbery gets the best of him. Geoffrey McKinney plays the juvenile with the same amount of gusto as his counterpart. Melissa Mellinger plays the femme fatale with just the right sexiness. But the one who really impresses with his energy and characterization is Paul Ellis, whose outrageous costuming helps his flamboyance.
"The Fox in the Fairway" end its runs February 23rd. The Civic climaxes its season with the musical, "Into the Woods", starting April 26th.
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