“The Fox on the Fairway" at the Richmond Hill Barn Theatre -- July 10 through 20.
Thursday, July 10, through Sunday, July 20
Richmond Hill Barn Theatre, 600 Robinson Drive, Geneseo IL
Hailed by the New York Times for being an "old-fashioned British style of farce with an elaborate plot and dizzy characters," Tony Award nominee Ken Ludwig's golf-themed comedy The Fox on the Fairway enjoys a July 10 through 20 run at Geneseo's Richmond Hill Barn Theatre, the praise continued by ChicagoCritic deeming it "perfect family fare" and the Chicago Sun-Times calling the play "a riot of a hilarious show."
A tribute to the English farces of the 1930s and ’40s, Ludwig’s A Fox on the Fairway takes audiences on a riotous ride that recalls the classics of the Marx Brothers. Set amid the leafy greens of Quail Valley Country Club, the story unfolds on the day Quail Valley faces its oldest rival, nearby Crouching Squirrel Golf and Racquet Club, for the golf tournament of the decade. Battle lines are drawn and the two clubs, like Greece and Troy, assemble their bravest heroes and play on to the final, madcap putt. Along the way these arch-rivals get entangled in wagers, injuries, and romance with uproarious mayhem as they do whatever it takes to save face, win their bets, and get their lives in order. With the Sun-Times extolling the comedy's "Joyful exuberance," audiences will be laughing all the way to the 18th hole.
Directing A Fox on the Fairway for Richmond Hill is Barn Theatre veteran Tom Morrow, whose recent productions for Geneseo include Blithe Spirit, Inherit the Wind, and Neil Simon's The Sunshine Boys. Fellow Richmond Hill favorite Jim Driscoll serves as the show's stage manager, while additional members of the creative team include set builders Jim Skiles and Mike Skiles, lighting and sound designer Dana Skiles, and props designers Ann Keeney-Grafft and Jackie Skiles. A sextet of gifted comic actors, meanwhile, compose the ensemble for Morrow's farce: David Beeson; Samuel Carrington; Sarah Carrington; Jessica Moore; Jackie Patterson; and David Shaffer.
The Fox on the Fairway runs at Geneseo's Barn Theatre July 10 through 20, with performances Thursdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Admission is $12, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)944-2244 and visiting RHPlayers.com.
