The cheesy, quirky sitcoms and soap operas of prime time TV during the 1970s and 80s make a witty tongue-in-cheek return to the spotlight in Ohio Northern University alumni Kirk Hiner and Jim Jividen's play Spoon Millionaires.
Speckled shamelessly with pretension, cliches and veins of '70s and '80s pop song lyrics so blatantly bad they've become cool, this centerpiece of the ninth annual Playfair never pretends to take itself or its themes seriously.
Nothing is off-limits to poke fun at as the stereotypical rich, conniving, selfish and—frankly—dumb stock characters of the era stumble and back-stab their way through purposely tired story lines reminiscent of Dallas.
They make drug deals, have not-so-secret affairs with each other's significant others, scheme up crooked business deals and plot one another's deaths, all while turning anything into a social event—even a funeral.
Set in the autumn of 1986 in the "elegant" Witherspoon mansion—with the classic '80s decor including modernistic art, clashing pastels and a black leather sofa—Spoon Millionaires chronicles the self-induced drama that befalls the Witherspoon family as their once-prosperous record label Spoon Records falters.
Founder and president The Archduke Witherspoon—whose family once "held the patent on the spoon" (the eating utensil)—is desperate to make a record deal to right his floundering business and help maintain his and his gold-digging wife Georganne's lavish lifestyle.
The Archduke finds his prize in what he thinks is an undiscovered Beatles hit and, with a Paul McCartney look-alike, attempts to regain his fortune.
Meanwhile, the Archduke's estranged son, Steele, dies in a suspicious car crash, the family physician and his late son's friend are bumbling drug dealers in hiding, his wife is cheating on him, his minister moonlights as a hit man and the doctor's wife is blackmailing the Archduke in exchange for a prime spot in the song's music video.
And the man he attempts to pass off as Paul McCartney is black.
Producer and Playfair founder George Frazee III directs this nutty cast of 11 members, who find as much fun in delivering the material as the audience does watching them.
Charlie Diefenbacher as the Archduke and Mary Blanche Hengstler as Lady Georganne Witherspoon are the classic rich couple with more loathing than loving binding them.
Diefenbacher creates in the Archduke the dirty old man with a flippant attitude and indulgent, self-righteous pompousness who makes everyone simultaneously roll their eyes and suppress a chuckle, while Hengstler digs her flame-red lacquered nails into the part like talons.
While her character's snobbish attitude may seem a bit forced at times, she convincingly pulls off the annoying rich-witch with the affected air of superiority, all while dressed to make one's eyes ache in sparkles, spangles and deliciously disturbing color combinations.
Ali Ferda is one of the production's sweetest parts as the ditzy token Valley Girl Amber Dean, Steel's girlfriend.
Absolutely adorable, Ferda brings a refreshing tinge to her archetypically clueless character with an endearing chemistry with Joel Frazee (Steele Witherspoon).
Jon Hodges (Dr. Luke Mia) and Mike Bumbaugh (Brandon Ray) are another duo, like Ferda and Frazee, whose apparent chemistry leaps out above the rest of the cast.
At times, Hodges gives the doctor, a blubbering mess of a man paranoid of Russians and the 1970s space race, nearly a rubber face with his comical expressions.
Ray's crass playboy humor adds spice as sexual innuendos fly from his mouth as frequently as song lyrics used as bad jokes.
One point of criticism is the awkward and annoying affair that drags on between Brandon and Georganne. The length of the play also becomes a drawback—by the final few scenes the jokes become repetitive and the action stale.
Critic's Conclusion: Despite numerous awkward sexual references and an ending that seems as if it will never come, Spoon Millionaires is more than worth seeing for the lovable cast and seriously silly plot, where for nearly three hours no thought is necessary and the only requirement for enjoyment is a sense of humor.
