Taking Steps...
Taking Steps is a 1979 farce by British playwright Alan Ayckbourn - someone who has written a number of plays just for "in-the-round" stages. It is set on three floors of an old and reputedly haunted house, with the stage arranged so that the stairs are flat and all three floors are on a single level (hence the play on words in the title). The actors climb their way up and down these stairs to the various floors, and the central idea is for audiences to see the three levels of action at the same time.
This production was tightly directed by the Theatre in the Round's veteran director Dann Peterson who got the very best from a wonderful ensemble cast. The usual series of doors or sets that cause the comedic reaction is replaced through the use of the three-floor layout, and the rush between the floors completes the farce's comedic effect. But, it is the actors that made for the hilarious fun. The script was delivered perfectly in the crisp British lilting language so common to this type of farce. This production is again a sterling example of the hard work these actors put forth in the theater's arena that pays off in full-throated belly laughs from the audiences.
This production was tightly directed by the Theatre in the Round's veteran director Dann Peterson who got the very best from a wonderful ensemble cast. The usual series of doors or sets that cause the comedic reaction is replaced through the use of the three-floor layout, and the rush between the floors completes the farce's comedic effect. But, it is the actors that made for the hilarious fun. The script was delivered perfectly in the crisp British lilting language so common to this type of farce. This production is again a sterling example of the hard work these actors put forth in the theater's arena that pays off in full-throated belly laughs from the audiences.