Check out Zee' Underpants!

By: Trey Astbury

Posted: 5/1/08

What do Germans and lingerie have in common? The answer is Whittier College Theater's Production of The Underpants, directed by Assistant Professor of Theater and Communication Arts Gil Gonzalez. The play, originally written by German playwright Carl Sternheim and later adapted by Steve Martin, is a clever story that features an intriguing study of instant fame, politics and fidelity. With its fine performances,students shouldn't miss this short-but-sweet final theater production of the school year.

Louise Maske (sophomore Eva Gustavson ) is married to Theo (senior Cody Goulder ). Theo is a hoggish clerk who ignores his wife and is more preoccupied with his work and other material matters. One day, Louise's underpants fall down during a parade, causing a stir in the town and making her an instant celebrity. Theo is enraged by the incident and soon, two men flock to rent the spare room that Louise and Theo have in their house. These men have ulterior motives after seeing and became fixated on the image of Louise's underpants. Sophomore Max Gallo and first-year Tim Lang play the two men, Versati and Cohen, who are incredibly different characters.

Versati is a hopeless romantic that writes poems and is looking for his muse, which he believes he has found in Louise. Cohen is a Jewish barber who hides his religious identity. "It's Cohen, with a K," he proclaims to Theo. Both vie to make Louise their lover, leading to great moments in the play when both fight for her affections. Meanwhile, Gertrude (junior Mallory Lopez), Louise's neighbor, tries to help her seek sexual empowerment from her husband.

Max Gallo has the mannerisms of the great comedians Steve Martin and Peter Sellers. He can cause laughter with just an inquisitive look or the batting of one of his eyes. Timothy Lang has a different comedic style, one of nervous energy, that is very fun to watch. But the person who steals most scenes is Klinglehoff, an old scientist played by senior Lia Kozach. Kozach plays an old man who looks like Albert Einstein. She is a riot and immitates grumpy grandparents. The rest of the cast is also uniformly excellent and the German accents of the actors are believable, rarely slipping into other foreign accents as compared to some international-themed plays. In fact, the accents were so thick that sometimes I had trouble hearing what some of the actors were saying. "I felt the show needed the accents in order to capture the 'German sensibility' in the text. The actors have been working relentlessly on the German accent, which helps to create the society Sternheim was spoofing in his original production," Gonzales said.

The play is a satire on the view of sexuality from pre-WWI in Germany, but there is still some relevance to today's views. Who can forget when Janet Jackson "accidentally" exposed her breast on national television, and it caused a controversy that was talked about for months. The play also has a few jabs at Jews and Americans, but most are meant to be lighthearted. According to Gonzales, "The Underpants' allows the audience to sit back and relax without having to take the play or themselves too seriously. How could you; the play is only an hour and twenty minutes. It is over before you know it."

People looking for some complete physical comedy will find themselves at the wrong place. This is a well-written and witty play that has all the humor in the mannerisms and dialogue. There are some good one-liners and sexual innuendos that you will have to check out for yourself. The characters are very interesting and even though there are some slow moments in the play, it never becomes boring because of the cast's energy. What better time to take a quick break from studying and check out a play about the undergarments you very well might be wearing?

The Underpants runs Wednesday, April 30 through Sunday, May 4 in the Studio Theatre in the Ruth B. Shannon Center for the Performing Arts. Show times are Wednesday through Saturday at 8 p.m.; Sunday at 2 p.m. For additional information, please contact the Box Office, (562) 907-4203.