Review: NOBODY'S PERFECT at New Theatre & Restaurant

Overland Park, KS — The New Theatre & Restaurant has built its reputation on polished, crowd-pleasing comedies, and its latest production of Nobody’s Perfect keeps that tradition humming along with bright energy and old-fashioned farce.  This show is a four-hander with a super cast starring Jim O’Heir (familiar to audiences from TV’s Parks and Recreation) as Leonard Loftus.  Backing up O’Heir are New Theatre veterans Kelly Felthous, Victor Raider-Wexler and rookie KyLee Hennes.   

The result is a fizzy, feel-good evening of theatre that leans into the charm of mistaken identity, rapid-fire misunderstandings, and more costume changes than one man should ever reasonably be asked to manage.

The play centers on Leonard, a shy statistician and aspiring novelist whose manuscript is rejected—until he resubmits it under a female pseudonym to a feminist publishing house. When the publisher wants to meet “her,” Leonard plunges into a frantic double life, toggling between mild-mannered writer and his own bewigged alter ego. The conceit is unabashedly farcical, and under Dennis D. Hennessy’s patented comic direction, Nobody’s Perfect blossoms into a lighthearted swirl of near-misses, narrow escapes, and sincerity hidden beneath the silliness.

Jim O’Heir anchors the production with strong physical comedy skills and a knack for escalating panic that never becomes grating. His performance blends sweetness and ridiculous bravado, winning the audience over from the start. Playing opposite him, Kelly Felthous as Harriet, the publisher, surprisingly becomes smitten with Leonard. She brings warmth and nuance to a role that could easily skew one-dimensional. Their scenes together—one trying desperately to maintain a lie, the other sincerely seeking connection—give the production an emotional core.

The other two supporting players deliver reliable laughs. Leonard’s tech-savvy teenage daughter DeeDee (KyLee Hennes) portrayed here in Goth Black provides a contemporary foil to Leonard’s frantic scrambling.  The final member of this delightful crew is Leonard’s mischievous, meddling father. Gus. Victor Raider-Wexler pushes the Gus deception further with unhelpfully enthusiastic improvisation.  Victor is an unabashedly super scene-stealer appreciated by all (including the cast).  All four actors create a gleeful sense of domestic chaos.

Visually, the show benefits from a tidy, set by Scott Heineman which allows for quick entrances, discreet costume swaps, and the kind of orchestrated mayhem that a farce lives or dies on. The New Theatre’s trademark production polish is evident—tight cueing, clever props, and an effective sense of pace that keeps the comedy buoyant without feeling rushed.

Musically and atmospherically, the production also leans into a light, contemporary feel that suits the script’s tone, giving the whole evening an easygoing rhythm.

If Nobody’s Perfect occasionally stretches logic to its breaking point, the cast wisely avoids leaning too hard on the absurdity. Instead, they trust the humor to emerge naturally from character and circumstance. That restraint, combined with sharp timing, allows the show to feel fresh even as it honors the traditions of classic stage farce.

You get the idea of course and Playwright Simon Williams owes a certain debt to some other very funny shows like "Mrs. Doubtfire," "Charley’s Aunt," and the all time classic "Some Like It Hot."  I would be remiss not to quote the final line from "Some Like It Hot" as Josephine and Oswald motorboat off into the sunset.  Josephine (Jack Lemon) explains to Oswald (Joe E. Brown) that they can’t marry because Josephine is really a man.   "Nobody’s Perfect" replies Oswald.

As always at New Theatre & Restaurant, the food is excellent, served from eight buffet lines to just over 600 audience members and the table service is impeccable.

After the production, Jim O’Heir delivers the standard New Theatre curtain speech. O’Heir turns out to be not only an excellent actor, but a more than passable standup comic.   

BOTTOM LINE:
The New Theatre & Restaurant’s Nobody’s Perfect is a breezy, warmly acted production that delivers a steady supply of laughs. Fans of traditional farce—and anyone hungry for a cheerful night out—will find plenty to enjoy.

Photos by Mike Savage