Funny Money, a Laugh-a-Minute Comedic Romp

by Stephen Kreal

On Saturday, March 21^st, I attended a performance of Funny Money, produced at Playmasters Theater Workshop in Bensalem PA. Playmasters is located in Neshaminy State Park.

Funny Money is a well-known farce written by playwright Ray Cooney (“master of the farce”). It premiered in 1995 at the Playhouse Theatre in London's West End, and enjoyed a successful two-year run. Among Cooney’s other famous plays are Run for Your Wife and Two into One. Funny Money was made into a movie in 2006 starring Chevy Chase, Penelope Ann Miller, and the late Robert Loggia.

The play is celebrated for its fast-paced comedic style, involving mistaken identities, physical comedy, and a chaotic plot, all of the classic hallmarks of a farce, centered on a humble accountant who discovers a briefcase full of money. It remains very popular in the community theater realm.

Playmasters’ production is directed by Michael Lovett. There is no one given credit in the program for stage manager. Safety Supervisor is credited to David Carter.

The unit set was a tastefully decorated living room in the home of humble accountant Henry Perkins and his devoted wife, Jean. Set design credit is given to: Joe Szumila, Lisa Cardinal, and Rich Hall. Set construction is credited to: Rich Hall, Damian Gaeta, Joe Szumila, Tom DiNardo, Bob Clothier, Kathy Garafano, Paul McCarthy, and Mike Lovett. As is always the case in a farcical comedy, there were multiple doors for performers to enter and exit the set.

The sound and lighting design is credited to Bob Clothier and Joe Szumila. The lighting design was simple, yet effective. The fast-paced nature of the play combined with no individual scenes (but rather both Act 1 and Act 2 are, essentially, one scene each), did not require much change. Most of the sound cues were well-timed and clearly audible (a phone ringing and exterior car sounds, for example).

Henry Perkins, an insignificant middle-aged, middle-class accountant is played by the incomparable, Perry Award-winning Tim Herman. Herman is a South Jersey-based stage actor and musician. I have had the pleasure on many occasions of watching Mr. Herman in both musicals and straight plays. Herman is a unique talent with absolutely perfect comedic timing, combined with his expressive facial expressions, he had the lively audience laughing loudly and frequently. His commitment to his craft is superlative.

Jean Perkins, Henry’s devoted wife, is played by Elizabeth Deal. Deal is outstanding playing a wife who is planning Henry’s quiet birthday dinner with friends, when her world is turned upside-down because of Henry’s discovery. Due to my aversion to “spoilers”, I will only say that Deal was fully committed to the role and highly entertaining.

Vic Johnson, a friend of the Perkinses', was played by Mark Stanislavov. This production is only the second mainstage production that Stanislavov has appeared in (having been cast in Dirt Nap at Playmasters last fall). Stanislavov brings energy and comedy to his characters and his facial expressions are hilarious.

Betty Johnson, Vic's wife, also Jean’s friend (and real-life sister-in-law of Elizabeth Deal) is played by Lindsay Deal. Deal is returning to the stage after a lengthy hiatus. One would never know that when seeing this high-energy, physically demanding performance. Deal absolutely masters the New York Brooklyn accent. Also, costuming greatly enhanced this character. Costuming credit in the program is given to the cast members.

Bill, a taxi driver, was played by Ian Mulreaney. This character is quirky, slightly dim-witted and, apparently, quite hungry. Mulreaney “steals” his brief entrances with funny lines and a charming stage presence.

Sergeant Davenport, played by Damian Gaeta, is a crooked cop perhaps more interested in taking bribes than making arrests. Gaeta is slick as an opportunistic hustler, trying to take advantage of Henry’s “good luck” as often as possible.

Sergeant Slater, a police detective, is portrayed by the experienced and talented Rich Hall. Slater is a straight- laced police detective. Hall is subdued in his portrayal of the hard-boiled, exasperated detective, who simply needs someone to accompany him to the morgue to identify a body and, hopefully, a cup of coffee.

The final character is Mr. Big (aka Mr. Brerfcurse). The actor playing this role is not credited in the program or on the “glory board” in the lobby. I asked around and was told the actor is a gentleman named David Carter (who, I believe, is the aforementioned Safety Supervisor). Carter makes his much-anticipated entrance towards the very end of Act 2. While his stage time is brief, he makes the most of it with some comedic physicality.

The action is very fast-paced and frantic, as the characters diligently try to keep their stories consistent. As the play goes on, it becomes ever more difficult to do that, again, to the uproarious delight of the enthusiastic audience. This culminates in a fast-paced, rapid-fire monologue delivered by Henry, attempting to come clean to Slater. 

One thing that sets Funny Money apart from other farces that I have seen is its “zero to sixty” approach. Most farces have a slow build as the action gets increasingly frantic. In Funny Money, the intensity is established very early in Act One and does not let up. The actors met and mastered the immense challenge of maintaining the high-energy, frenetic pace from opening curtain all the way through to curtain call.  This play deserves an audience, and I encourage you to take in a performance. But, be sure to fasten your seat belt, ha ha ha. Congratulations to the director, cast, and crew of this delightful production! Funny Money runs through Sunday, April 4^th. Tickets can be purchased here: https://playmasters.booktix.com/