Review: THE COCOANUTS at Fountain Hills Theater

By the mid-1920s the Marx Brothers (Groucho, Harpo, Chico, and Zeppo) were already well known on the vaudeville circuit. Broadway gave their mayhem a larger canvas. Producer Sam Harris commissioned a musical comedy built around them, pairing their improvisational chaos with the polish of Berlin’s songs and Kaufman’s sharp theatrical wit. The result was THE COCOANUTS, set in a Florida resort hotel during the speculative frenzy of the 1920s land boom.

The show, with music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and a book by George S. Kaufman and Morrie Ryskind, exploded onto Broadway in 1925. Its success was propelled by the anarchic comic force of the Marx Brothers. A century later, the Fountain Hills non-musical production, adapted by Peter J. Hill and the late Ben Tyler, invites audiences to rediscover a work that helped define modern stage comedy. Its vaudeville roots are unmistakable, and under the direction of Ross Collins, this production captures much of that spirit.

The story unfolds in a struggling Florida resort run by the shifty hotel manager Henry W. Schlemmer. His increasingly desperate attempts to stay afloat intersect with young lovers, social climbers, and a pair of jewel thieves. In truth, the storyline is largely beside the point. The real attraction is the comic chemistry that defined the Marx Brothers: Groucho’s machine-gun insults, Chico’s mangled logic, Harpo’s silent mischief, and Zeppo’s comparatively straight-man charm.

Enter Thomas Graca, who anchors the show as Schlemmer, the character originally played by Groucho Marx. Graca delivers the role with cigar, confidence, and mischievous authority, echoing Groucho’s sly irreverence and rhythmic delivery. Whenever the stage threatens to spin into full vaudevillian chaos, as it frequently does, his presence provides the comic center of gravity.

The supporting cast fuels the chaos. Jamie Graves cavorts across the stage as Silent Sam, leaning into Harpo-style physical gags, while Adam Gobeski’s Willie the Shill proves suitably slippery. Bob Feugate adds welcome humor as Jamison, the long-suffering clerk and bellhop who appears to be the last remaining employee of the beleaguered Cocoanuts Hotel.

The romantic subplot rests with Michael McGraw as aspiring architect Robert Adams, who hopes to win the hand of Polly Potter, played with warmth by Michelle Holguin. Standing firmly in the way is Polly’s socially ambitious mother (played with panache by Kandyce Hughes), who is determined that her daughter marry someone of greater wealth and status.

The story’s criminal intrigue arrives courtesy of Brennan Hogue as the cunning Penelope Martin and Dan Marburger as her fellow schemer Harvey Yates. Their plan to steal a valuable jewel propels much of the show’s comic confusion. Adding to the mayhem is Henry Male as the booming and somewhat bumbling detective Hennessey, whose attempts at law enforcement generate their own brand of comedic disorder.

The production is not without a few rough edges. The precise timing that Marx Brothers material demands can be difficult to sustain consistently, and the pacing occasionally wobbles. Yet the cast clearly embraces the material with enthusiasm. That commitment helps explain why community theaters remain such a vital part of the cultural landscape. Fountain Hills Theater has spent decades cultivating local talent while bringing a wide range of productions to audiences across the East Valley.

Decades after its debut, the show still carries the same energy and appeal. In a theater landscape often driven by polish and precision, there is something refreshing about a production that reminds us how much fun it can be when the stage feels just a little bit out of control.

THE COCOANUTS runs through April 12th at Fountain Hills Theater’s Noel Irick and Peter J. Hill Playhouse.

Fountain Hills Theater -- https://fhtaz.org/ -- 11445 N. Saguaro Boulevard, Fountain Hills, AZ -- 480-837-9661 Ext. 3

Graphic credit to Fountain Hills Theater