Review: TOM, DICK AND HARRY at Harwood Prairie Playhouse

The Harwood Prairie Playhouse delivers a lively and often laugh-out-loud production of Tom, Dick and Harry, a classic British farce by Ray Cooney and Michael Cooney that demands precision, energy, and a willingness to fully embrace the absurd.

Under the direction of Ashley Fredricksen, the production leans confidently into the play’s strengths: speed, confusion, and the ever-escalating consequences of one small lie turning into many. The premise is simple, a couple hopes to adopt a child and must impress a visiting social worker, but the execution is anything but. By the time unexpected visitors, hidden secrets, and wildly conflicting stories collide, the stage becomes a whirlwind of misdirection and comic panic.

At the center of it all is David Lassig as Tom Kerwood, who also serves as the production’s technical director. Lassig anchors the show with a performance that understands the core rule of farce: play it seriously, no matter how ridiculous things become. His Tom begins as a man trying to hold everything together and gradually unravels into full-blown desperation, and that descent fuels much of the evening’s humor. This might be one of David's funniest roles yet.

Sara Ervin’s Linda provides a strong counterbalance, at least initially. Ervin captures Linda’s shift from composed and hopeful to increasingly entangled in the chaos, matching Lassig beat for beat as the couple’s carefully constructed façade crumbles. Their chemistry gives the audience something to hold onto amid the madness.

The real sparks, however, come from the titular brothers. Kyle Hagler’s Dick brings a sharp-edged unpredictability, injecting the story with complications that feel just plausible enough to keep the stakes high. In contrast, Jordan Franzen’s Harry operates on a delightfully off-kilter wavelength, delivering some of the production’s biggest laughs through sheer oddity and impeccable timing. Together, they create a one-two punch of chaos, one grounded in trouble, the other in absurdity.

The supporting cast keeps the momentum moving. Dawn Thompson’s Mrs. Potter, the ever-watchful social worker, serves as the production’s pressure valve, her growing suspicion mirroring the audience’s amusement as the situation spirals. Mickey Porter’s Constable Downs adds another layer of tension, while Kate Folkestad (Katerina) and Jacob Kalvoda (Boris) round out the ensemble with performances that lean into the heightened reality the script demands.

A standout among the supporting performances is Mark Seeba as Andreas, who fully embraces the play’s physical and situational comedy. Seeba’s portrayal leans into the character’s intoxicated unpredictability, most memorably in a scene involving drunken trumpet playing that borders on the absurd in the best possible way. This is one of the evening’s comedic highlights.

Farce is often described as theatrical clockwork, and that feels particularly apt here. Doors open and close with purpose, lines overlap, and the pacing, while occasionally teetering on the edge, largely maintains the forward momentum necessary for the comedy to land. When the timing clicks, the result is a cascade of laughs that builds steadily through the second act.