‘Wonder of the World’ is a play that just wants to be fun
PROVIDENCE – Some plays just want to have fun (thank you, Cyndi Lauper), and David Lindsay-Abaire wrote a lot of them, including “Wonder of the World,” now being performed by The Players at the Barker Playhouse.
One must look long, hard – and unnecessarily – to find meaning in this crazy comedy. Better to just sit back and enjoy the ride orchestrated by this community theater group and director Richard Marr-Griffin.
It commences when Cass finds evidence that her husband, Kip, has an unexpected fetish. It’s enough to make our heroine immediately pack up and leave her husband, who she now feels isn’t the person he pretended to be.
She decides to look for the life she should have had by traveling to Niagara Falls – maybe because of its connection to honeymoons and newlyweds? – to check off all sorts of experiences on a very lengthy bucket list.
Along the way, she meets a suicidal alcoholic who has her own “barrel list,” so to speak; the lonely captain of a Maid of the Mist tour boat; and a long-married and constantly bickering couple who claim to be private detectives.
“Wonder of the World” is Lindsay-Abaire’s second play, and he hadn’t quite written the unforced comedy of later works, including “Kimberly Akimbo,” which started as a straight drama/ comedy and was adapted as a musical, winning a host of awards for 2023, including Tonys for Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Score.
Consequently, some “Wonder of the World” jokes don’t land, and the second act, which involves a loony therapist and “The Newlywed Game,” would have been funnier if it were shorter. The Players and Griffin, however, have the right
attitude; they go all out for laughs.
One of the best moments comes during a helicopter flight over the falls. Cass, played with energy and spirit by Sophia Kahn, is joined by her new, nonchalantly suicidal friend Lois, well played by Ricci Mann, for the trip. Erin Malcolm plays the frequently distracted pilot with comic perfection, sparking hilarious performances all around.
The three, along with Paul Oliver as a clueless Greg, Camille Terilli as the sardonic Karla, the alleged private detectives; and Kerstyn Leigh as Kip, have funny moments but can’t redeem the long second act. Tylar Jahumpa, an unrehearsed fill-in for an ailing actor, pulls off the role of the tour-boat’s Captain Mike.
Like the helicopter flight, the play has its ups and downs. Don’t go looking for meaning, but do enjoy the laughs.
Three remaining performances of “Wonder of the World” are Friday and Saturday, May 17 and 18, at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, May 19, at 2 p.m., at the Barker Playhouse, 400 Benefit St. For tickets, visit Playersri.org or email Players1909@gmail.com.