Review: NANA'S NAUGHTY KNICKERS at Georgetown Playhouse
Before Bridget (Pam Taylor) goes off to law school in the fall, she decides to spend the summer with her favorite Nana, Sylvia (Susan McWilliams) in her rent-controlled New York apartment. Syliva's best friend Vera (Nikki Bora) is never far away and newly-appointed beat cop Tom (Jacob Maspero) drops in often to check up on Sylvia and now to flirt a bit with Bridget and constantly with Vera.
Conflict arrives when Bridget and Vera discover that all is not what it seems at Nana's house. Nosy landlord Mr. Schmidt (Jerry Brown) keeps a hawk's eye on the traffic in Nana's house including quite a few mysterious UPS deliveries. Turns out Nana has been operating an illegal lingerie boutique that caters to a geriatric clientel. Bridget is horrified to say the least, and all hell breaks loose as she and Vera attempt to help Nana hide her business from Tom and Mr. Schmidt.
This is a formulaic, modern-day drawing-room comedy with most of the elements present in a television sitcom. Most of the comedy works, but it is somewhat predictable and the comic timing could be better. The show drags a bit, but the kinks should be ironed-out soon as the play runs (through March 17).
McWilliams' Nana is a feisty character (and a bit of a control freak) who often provides the set-up for Bora's Vera to deliver some pretty good one-liners. The comedy derived from Vera's hearing issues becomes a bit monotonous as does the "conflict" between Tom and Bridget's parking issues but otherwise it's a decent script. The play is very well-suited to the Palace Playhouse's limited space and Emily Taylor provides some solid direction and a good set design.
I attended the February 24th performance to a sold-out house. The audience was responsive to the play and I suspect the show will continue to sell out. I would recommend making reservations as soon as possible as seating is limited.
Nana's Naughty Knickers plays Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 and Sundays at 2:00. Tickets are available at: georgetownpalace.com/512-869-7469.
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