Review: FARCE OF NATURE at The Off Broadway Palm

FARCE OF NATURE at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre's Off Broadway Palm is a "southern-fried" comedy that tells a story about the "Reel 'Em Inn," a few couples trying to rekindle their relationships, a cop dressed as a maid, some criminals, and even some wild animals.

The show follows Wanelle Wilburn (Jenny Smith) as she tries to seduce her husband, D. Gene (Michael Weaver). He is distracted trying to prepare the inn for Roxanne Thorne (Shelley Sanders), who he believes is going to offer them a partnership to fix up the inn. D. Gene chooses not to tell Wanelle about this, resulting in some suspicion on her part. Rachael Lord plays Jenna Sealy, who is waiting for her boyfriend Ty (Dylan Goike) to return from an acting job in Chicago. His boss, Lola Barbosa (ML Graham) follows Ty from Chicago to the Reel 'Em Inn. Unfortunately, so does her husband, Sonny (Rob Summers). Sonny just got out of jail after being in there for 5 years, in part because of Carmine Deluca (Victor Legarreta). Carmine happens to be hiding out at the inn, protected by Maxie Wilburn Suggs (Lynn Grace) as part of the witness protection program. Of course, all these connections create a lot of drama and yelling. Some disguises are thrown in the mix as well.

This show uses very exaggerated acting and humor to get laughs from the audience. It's very over-the-top. Honestly, it is just not my style of comedy and at points it was just a bit too much. There were a lot of chaotic moments for humor and they did not really get me in the way they were intended to. But, other folks in the audience definitely seemed to enjoy that style of comedy. The cast seemed to have a lot of fun with it as well, which I appreciated.

If you do like this style of humor and want to sit back and enjoy some silliness, check out FARCE OF NATURE while it's running in The Off Broadway Palm, now through July 25. Broadway Palm no longer requires masks for fully vaccinated patrons; if you are not fully vaccinated, please be respectful and wear a mask when you are not eating or drinking. The Off Broadway Palm's seating has been adjusted and they are operating it at 50% capacity because it is a smaller theatre.

The Off Broadway Palm is an intimate theatre, located in the main lobby of Broadway Palm. Performances are Wednesday through Sunday evenings, with select matinees. Ticket prices range from $42 to $62 with discounts available for groups. Tickets are now on sale and can be reserved by calling (239) 278-4422, visiting BroadwayPalm.com, or in person at 1380 Colonial Boulevard in Fort Myers.

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