‘Lucky Stiff ’ doesn’t show enough life
A shoe salesman must take his uncle’s corpse on a vacation in a farce that lacks bite.
The program notes for “Lucky Stiff” unabashedly proclaim it “a zany piece of fluff,” and Actors Co-op’s revival of this 1988 musical farce pursues that objective with single-minded intensity. Daily news headlines may make audiences crave escapist relief, but be advised: This show’s cerebral demands could easily be met by its title character, who happens to be both deceased and far luckier than anyone trying to make sense of the plot.
Book writer and lyricist Lynn Ahrens’ loopy farce revolves around an inheritance that promises to liberate milquetoast British shoe salesman Harry Witherspoon (Brandon Parrish) from his dead-end life. In order to receive the fortune from the departed American relative he’s never met, Harry must take his benefactor’s corpse on a vacation to Monte Carlo, passing off the inert, wheelchair propped Uncle Anthony (a gamely deadpan Vito Viscuso) as his invalid companion.
The premise inevitably invites comparison to “Weekend at Bernie’s,” so it should be noted that “Lucky Stiff ” predated the film by a year. That is about the extent of scholarly analysis warranted by either.
Uncle Anthony’s will specifies a sightseeing itinerary that the pair must follow to the minute. Otherwise, the entire fortune reverts to a canine shelter charity, whose fetching representative, Annabel Glick (Claire Adams), trails them in dogged pursuit, ready to pounce at any slip-up.
Harry’s traumatic past persecution by his neighborhood hounds of hell unleashes a pack of pooch puns, and further heightens his resentment of crusading Annabel, who in turn snarls her contempt. In rom-com parlance, of course, that means the pair are destined for puppy love. Adding intermittent villainy, Uncle Anthony’s rabid ex-girlfriend (Rory Patterson) has homicidal claws out for Harry.
The no-frills staging by Stephen Van Dorn services composer Stephen Flaherty’s pop score with a live four-piece band under Taylor Stephenson’s musical direction. Though the ensemble sports some capable singing voices, the show lacks the kind of outsized musical-comedy personalities needed to coax howls from amiable mirth. The fact that this lightweight material isn’t best-of-breed to begin with should be reason enough to give one paws.