The Crazy Time Proves What’s Good for the Goose is Just Groovy for the Gander

Newport Playhouse & Cabaret Restaurant’s newest offering is The Crazy Time, a laugh-filled look at men struggling to understand why the women they find so desirable don’t actually want to stick with them for very long. Being a Sam Bobrick comedy, the odds are that the lessons learned will be few, the jokes will be many and through many trials and tribulations, the time will fly by in a whirl. Directed by Rick Bagley, the show winningly succeeds in giving audiences all three with uniformly solid performances from a well-cast ensemble, an appropriately groovy ’70s setting and a steady flow of one-liners to drive the plot along.

Playwright Bobrick seems to have the lock on writing snappy comedy scripts, having honed his skills years ago writing for such shows as “Get Smart” and “Bewitched” – and most importantly – the ’90s-cult hit “Saved by The Bell.” Let that one sink in. This is the man who brought us Bayside High, Zach, Screech and Mr. Belding. That tidbit of info should give you a better appreciation of the more than 40 plays Bobrick has written – 2nd Story Theatre’s recent “Murder at the Howard Johnson’s” and “Baggage” at Newport Playhouse are two prime local examples.

The Crazy Time introduces us to Miles Gladstone, his mid-life crisis on prominent display in his tracksuit and the requisite sweatband around his swathe of white hair. Miles has dropped his wife of 30 something years for a much younger model who has him living a healthier, more active lifestyle. Played by the pleasantly even-keeled Richard Johnson, Miles seems genuinely smitten with his newfound wife, in a sweet moment even marveling at how tender and loving she can be.

Miles’ longtime business partner Jerry – also a “man of a certain age” – arrives on the scene with pastries and a not-so-thinly-veiled plan to convince Miles to sell his half of the business to his “best friend”– today. With photos of new wife Meghan prominently displayed throughout the apartment, Jerry drools over her obvious beauty – constantly referring to her as a “chick,” “one hot cookie” and having a “body that even a eunuch…” Well, you get the idea. Beneath the plaid blazer and the constant wisecracks, Jim Killavey gives us a nice turn on the classic sit-com sad clown. Jerry is a man hen-pecked by his wife, incredibly jealous of his Miles’ romantic success and desperately weighed down with hopeless money woes. No wonder he’s drinking at 10:30 in the morning.

We soon meet Miles’ daughter Susan, played by the lovely Katrina Rossi. Suspecting her husband is stepping out on her, she’s arrived on Dad’s doorstep for a masterclass on how men cheat on their wives. While dialogue-heavy, these scenes show a nice side of Miles’ character, nicely balancing his protective nature toward his daughter and his self-awareness of how men can quickly get caught up in the chase for something new, and detailing the deceits he created to cheat on his marriage.

All of this comes to a screeching halt one phone call later when Meghan calls to beg off coming home – with the same excuse Miles himself used many times over. Once she leaves him, Miles drifts down the rabbit hole of depression in a series of blackout scenes. Clad in his pajamas for what seems like months on end, Miles wallows in his losses – his wife, his business and his sense of self.

When stunning ex-wife Kate (Amanda Blattner) arrives with her hot boy toy Dirk (Yadil Rivera) in tow, it is like someone threw open the drapes and let some fresh air in. Blattner’s confident take on the character is matched by her flawlessly glam ’70s costuming, and she appears on the scene with the self-assurance and poise of a Ms. Magazine cover girl. Rivera’s Dirk is picture-perfect arm candy and yet delivers us a character that is not stuck in the sexy-but-dumb stereotype (as written.) Rivera brings an appealing take on the role, delivering his lines with a genuine sense of wonder and discovery.

With as many plot twists and turns as one can squeeze into a tidy 90-minutes, The Crazy Time delivers on many levels despite some clunky writing in the final scene. Kudos to director Bagley and his ensemble cast on bringing Bobrick’s script to life with as much humor – and humanity – as possible.

The Crazy Time by Sam Bobrick, directed by Rick Bagley runs until November 19 at the Newport Playhouse & Cabaret Restaurant, 102 Connell Highway, Newport, RI  02840. Purchase tickets online at newportplayhouse.com or by calling 401-848-7529.