The Fox on the Fairway
| The Fox on the Fairway | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Ken Ludwig |
| Date premiered | October 19, 2010 |
| Place premiered | Signature Theatre, Arlington, Virginia |
| Original language | English |
| Genre | Comedy, farce |
| Setting | The Tap Room of the Quail Valley Country Club. This year. |
The Fox on the Fairway is a comedy by Ken Ludwig that premiered at the Signature Theatre, Arlington, Virginia, in 2010. It concerns the goings-on at a private country club.
Plot summary
Bingham, president of the Quail Valley Country Club, is in a difficult position. Not by finding out that his newly hired hand, Justin, is in love with Louise, the waitress at the club house, but by the discovery that the golfer he thought would play for his club has switched sides recruited by his counterpart and opponent, the cocky and arrogant Dickie, and the huge bet he had foolishly wagered is now likely to be lost. Fortunately, he discovers that Justin is actually quite a good golfer and finagles his nomination. Justin does not disappoint and has a huge lead, when close to its end the tournament is interrupted by bad weather. When Justin learns that Louise has lost the engagement ring he gave her - she accidentally flushed it down the toilet - he comes unglued. The game resumes the next day, but Justin loses the lead, and, upset, takes an unfortunate swing breaking his arm. Bingham is desperate, and the appearance of his wife complicates the matter, as she catches him much too close to Pamela, his sex-starved vice-president. Can Bingham find a replacement for Justin to win the game, win the wager, and get his life in order?
Productions and reviews
The play was described by the Washington Post critic Peter Marks as "Ludwig's tribute to the great English farces of the 1930s and 1940s".[1] At its 2010 debut at the Signature Theatre, Arlington, Virginia, Peter Marks found the plot mechanical and the play too full of "shamelessly recycled sex, sports and alcohol jokes."[1] Paul Harris called it "a manic race to the intellectual depths propelled by a nonsensical tale of greed, love and stupidity."[2]
The second production, in 2011 at the George Street Playhouse, New Brunswick, New Jersey, received a more positive reaction by the critics. Michael Summers found "plenty of bright spots", although he also bemoaned a mechanical plot.[3] Peter Filichia described it as "phenomenally funny" and thought it better than Ludwig's Lend Me a Tenor.[4]
The third production of The Fox on the Fairway was mounted in March, 2012 at Gulfshore Playhouse, a professional theatre in Naples, Florida. Chris Silk in the Naples Daily News said, "Gulfshore Playhouse knocked one straight off the tee and hit a hole in one Friday. Farce 'The Fox on the Fairway,' which mixes golf, romance and fashion keeps the audience in stitches. Pitching wedges, drivers, putters and nine irons - golf was never so much fun."[5]
A production was mounted in May 2012 at The Aurora Theatre,[6] a professional theatre in Lawrenceville, GA. Bert Osborne in the Atlanta Journal Constitution said, "Aurora’s 'Fairway' stays the course most amusingly"[7]
References
- 1 2 Marks, Peter (October 26, 2010). "Theater review: 'Fox on the Fairway' at Signature Theatre". Washington Post. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
- ↑ Harris, Paul (October 26, 2010). "Fox on the Fairway". Variety. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
- ↑ Summers, Michael (April 1, 2011). "A Farce on the Links, With Hazards in the Clubhouse". The New York Times. Retrieved April 11, 2011.
- ↑ "George Street Playhouse Extends Run of Hit Comedy Ken Ludwig's The Fox on the Fairway.". NJ Stage. March 31, 2011. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
- ↑ Chris Silk (March 6, 2012). "Review: Gulfshore Playhouse hits hole in one with golf farce 'The Fox on the Fairway'". Naples Daily News. Retrieved 26 April 2012.
- ↑ www.auroratheatre.com
- ↑ Bert Osborne (May 7, 2012). ""Fox on the Fairway" theater review". Atlanta Journal Constitution. Retrieved 8 May 2012.