Published: February 14, 2008 01:08 pm            

A&M-Commerce showing 'Underpants'

Cold weather, hot comedy!

The University Playhouse at Texas A&M University-Commerce presents “The Underpants” by Steve Martin later this month.

A conservative young husband wants to know: “Everything in my world is running perfectly, but how can your panties, in broad daylight, just fall down?”

Is there an answer for a question like that? Yes! And it involves a zany cast of characters who find themselves in one crazy situation after another.

Audiences will come away exhausted from laughter at this comic masterpiece.

“Steve Martin has adapted this classic German farce in a way that will resonate with our audiences,” said Dr. Carrie Lee Klypchak, who is directing the play. “The humor is bawdy, not dirty, and sexy, but not raunchy. I would rate the show PG 13.”

Martin, considered by many to be a comic genius, has Texas roots. He was born in Waco, but his father, an aspiring actor, soon moved the family to California.

Martin first came to national prominence in the 1970s with his appearances on “Saturday Night Live,” and with his two Grammy winning comedy albums, “Let’s Get Small” and “A Wild and Crazy Guy.”

Martin has a love of the theatre. He appeared with Robin Williams and Bill Irwin in a Broadway revival of Samuel Becket’s “Waiting for Godot.” He also authored a collection of plays, “Picasso at the Lapine Agile” and “Other Plays.”

When an American comic icon like Martin decides to adapt German playwright Carl Sternheim’s 1911 hit comedy, “The Underpants,” audiences can expect a rollicking evening of sassy, sexy fun. “The Village Voice” raved about the play: “The show is hilarious and bawdy even before you get there. People all over the city will now ask each other, “Have You Seen ‘The Underpants?’”

With the A&M-Commerce production opening in the Performing Arts Center just after Valentine’s Day, “The Underpants” is a great show for sweethearts.

Austin graduate student and cast member Chris Martinez suggests, “Bring a date. You’ll both get into ‘The Underpants.’”

The comedy will open at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 21. Other performances are at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 22-23, and Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 28-March 1, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24, and March 2. Call 903-886-5900 for reservations.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens, and $3 for students.

        

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