Murray J. Weed, who stars in Oyster Mill Playhouse’s Run for Your Wife, wrote in his show program bio something like, “it’s nice to act in something that’s central theme is not death.” And while the protagonist may wish he was dead, Run for Your Wife is the furthest thing from a crime drama.
The production is currently on-stage at Oyster Mill Playhouse and has audiences laughing until the final curtain. It’s a classic story of “mistaken” identity, or in this case, a “mistaken” address – because our main character has two.
Cabbie John Smith (Matt Thomsen) juggles two separate lives – including two different wives (Mia Christensen and Samantha Klimas) – by keeping a tight “work” schedule. After a mugging, Smith finds his schedule scrambled and goes to desperate lengths to keep his two wives from finding out about each other. Close calls with snooping detectives (Margaret Morris and Weed) and an absentminded neighbor (Curtis Nelson) will keep audiences on the edge of their seats, wondering if this will be the lie that brings about Smith’s undoing.
Smith is almost – emphasis on almost – an anti-hero; yes, he’s a terrible guy, but aren’t we supposed to be rooting for him? Furthermore, do we actually want either wife to be “the one” if it means being married to this guy? The answers are murky, but this is a comedy so we can laugh about it – and you definitely will.
Kudos to director Lois Heagy, who brought the story to life in such an authentic way. Some of the cast has been seen in more dramatic roles with Oyster Mill, and it was nice to see their comedic chops with this material.
Full of innuendo, hijinks, and a little stage combat, Run for Your Wife is a fast-paced farce that could be a bit too much if it wasn’t so well-executed and funny. It’s witty, it’s irreverent and the perfect antidote if you’re in a true crime rut.
Run for Your Life runs weekends through November 19, and ends Oyster Mill’s 2023 Season. The 2024 Season kicks off in January with Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None. The Vagina Monlogues, Hay Fever, The 39 Steps, Boeing Boeing and The Musical Comedy Murders of 1940 fill the rest of the year. Fingers crossed they bring back the Golden Gays for a holiday show, too!
Find tickets on Oyster Mill’s website and follow social media for up-to-date information.
