Dough-Play: “The Money in Uncle George’s Suitcase,” at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre through August 25

I’ll admit it: When I read the plot description of the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre's latest offering, The Money in Uncle George’s Suitcase, I presumed it was going to be a slightly predictable but funny little story. A bunch of relatives have been invited to Uncle George’s cabin for the weekend and, when the group is gathered there, the man announces that a suitcase with nearly half-a-million dollars inside is hidden somewhere. I assumed comic hijinks would ensue.

I am sad to say I was wrong. Sure, author Pat Cook’s plot follows that premise, but unfortunately, director Joe DePauw’s cast was the collective victim of a script that didn’t offer them much to work with; the hijinks were minimal. In truth, the entire first act was exposition, and not very interesting exposition at that. We met the cabin's owner and resident, with Uncle George portrayer Bruce Carmen bringing a kind-and-calm demeanor to the stage, and DePauw's show opened with George in the middle of a story that he would go on to retell over and over again. This could have been a funny routine, and certainly, there were some patrons on Saturday who found it one. For me, though, repetitive storytelling is only endearing when you adore the storyteller, and we didn’t get the chance to adore Uncle George until long after he’d told his tale a few times.

Luckily for the entire show, we did eventually get to see the best George had to offer, and that was the relationship he was building with his great-niece Chelsey (Violet Runty). It was a shame that Cook’s script didn’t give Runty much to do, because when she was paired with Carmen, this production was at its very best of not putting on airs of silliness or ridiculousness; it was simply heartwarming. Runty and Carmen had excellent chemistry, and I wish Cook had given us more between those two particular characters. Chelsey and Uncle George were also the only two Suitcase figures who weren’t sneaking around, and were just trying to enjoy all the cabin setting had to offer.

Chelsey’s parents, Joanne and Mitch Bryant (Dana Skiles and David Shaffer), were also fun to watch. Shaffer gave Mitch plenty of snark and, while he had his share of ridiculous falls, those moments were some of the only hijinks in the whole first act, so they were most welcome. Skiles’ Joanne was also fairly even-keeled … and thank goodness for that, because her mother Margaret (Valerie Painter) and aunt Mamie Jo (Amanda Wilson) were not. To their credit, Painter and Wilson perfectly portrayed sisters who appreciate each other while knowing exactly which buttons to push to get a reaction out of the other.

Meanwhile, Joanne’s cousin Gloria (Elizabeth Pyle) and her husband Andrew (Alex Claus) rounded out the cabin's visiting guests, and though they were eccentric, they were certainly not people I’d elect to spend a weekend with. These two were more likely to be complaining than anything else, though together they provided some of the best facial expressions of the evening.

After a dinner that no one but George seemed to enjoy, the guests all decided to pack up and go home, which is when George drops the bomb about the missing money – a cliffhanger delivered just in time for intermission. The second act finally offered DePauw’s cast the chance to do more than bellyache about why they had to be at the cabin in the first place. Though for what it’s worth, Jim and Mike Skiles built a cabin set that looked far nicer than the characters and Jennifer Kingry’s redneck sound design seemed to suggest. (As someone who tends toward indoorsy, and with admitted bias against the word “rustic,” there wasn’t anything on stage that would have scared me away from Uncle George’s cabin.)

As most of the Suitcase ensemble snuck around at night, hiding from their relatives and trying to find the cash before anyone else, DePauw’s cast did an excellent job hiding in plain sight with comical facial expressions and the ridiculous reactions I expected from much earlier in the evening. And the energy in the entire theatre changed: The audience was finally waiting with bated breath for what would happen next, and the situational comedy unfolding on stage was charged and at its very best.

Admittedly, the second act also gave us a piece of man-eating piece of furniture that played out beautifully and became the moment that stole the entire show for me. It was final proof that the problem of this slow-moving presentation was the script, and not the cast: the actors were clearly up to the challenge of being funny. So for what it’s worth, if you’re perfectly okay with a slow-burn comedy, The Money in Uncle George’s Suitcase ultimately delivers a family-friendly experience. And don’t blink during the last minute if you're searching for a mystery-solving clue!

The Money in Uncle George's Suitcase runs at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre (600 Robinson Drive, Geneseo IL) through August 25, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)944-2244 and visiting RHPlayers.com.