If the cryptic title of playwright David Linday-Abaire’s ‘Fuddy Meers’ intimidates you, fear not. The phrase is not going over your head. The story behind the title — along with the story behind the entire show — unravels as the play unfolds. Though billed as a comedy, Syracuse University’s drama department production of ‘Fuddy Meers’ delivers more than just laughs. A lineup of unconventional characters and trippy aesthetics distinguish this obscure mystery from other comedic plays.

Between inspiring human portrayals of bizarre characters and a masterful mélange of set, lighting and sound, the uniquely dark tale falls somewhere between Adam Sandler’s film ’50 First Dates’ and the Cartoon Network surrealist comedy ‘Courage the Cowardly Dog.’ ‘Fuddy Meers’ opened Nov. 4 and will play in the reconfigured Storch Theatre at Syracuse Stage until Nov. 13.

With ‘Fuddy Meers,’ director Craig MacDonald takes the audience through a funhouse of odd characters and wacky imagery. Chaos ensues when Claire (Jasmine Thomas), an amnesiac who forgets her identity upon waking each morning, flees her Arizona home with a limping and lisping man (Max Miller). The questionable character leads Claire to believe her husband wants to kill her. When Claire’s seemingly well-to-do husband Richard Fiffle (Daniel Burns) notices his missing wife, he grabs his pot-smoking son Kenny (Shawn Nabors), and the two drive to the only place they think Claire could be: grandma Gertie’s (Caroline Wolfson). All the while, colorful characters like the puppet-loving Millet (Louis Baglio) and the gutter-mouthed Heidi (Blondean Young) add to the confusion, preventing anyone from getting his or her way.

Committed performances fuel the show’s hilarity, like junior acting major Louis Baglio’s portrayal of Millet. His performance as the limping man’s sidekick was both a physical and vocal feat. Baglio had the task of playing not one, but two characters, for Millet’s puppet certainly had a mind — and a mouth — of his own. Baglio’s control of his voice and body allowed Millet to slip seamlessly in and out of his crazed-puppet routine. Moreover, Baglio’s two characters never once blended together, nor did they ever feel abruptly disjointed. The two characters simply existed in their own worlds.

But another performance rivaled Baglio’s to steal the show. Senior acting major Daniel Burns played Richard Fiffle, Claire’s loving yet off-kilter husband, with extraordinary timing and sensitivity to character development. Fiffle entranced the audience with his distinct southern drawl and undeniable sincerity. And it was Burns’ genuine vulnerability that enabled his character’s comedic triumph. Because the audience never knew what Richard would say next, Burns made Act 1, Scene 4 the first car scene between Richard and his son Kenny, the most hilarious and engaging scene of the show.

Jasmine Thomas, a senior acting major, also held her own as Claire, the play’s lead. Though Claire’s described ‘sunny disposition’ could have made for an awfully annoying character, Thomas’ likability allowed Claire to be a refreshing foil to the rest of the crazed cast. Caroline Wolfson, a senior musical theater major, had several enjoyable moments as the spunky grandma, Gertie. Though Wolfson tackled Gertie’s almost incomprehensible lines — due to the old woman’s recent stroke — a stronger vocal performance indicating Gertie’s age could have added another layer to the character.

 

The play carried a blissful marriage of set, lighting and sound. Perhaps one of the most beautiful moments of when the three elements combined was at the top of Act 1. When Fiffle mimes the opening of two imaginary curtains, the audience hears the screechy sound of curtain hooks sliding across a metal rod. Simultaneously, a concentrated ray of light fled into the room, casting a diagonal shadow of windowpanes onto the floor. In one small moment, the artistic directors’ attention to detail reminded the audience they were viewing a world in which more exists than meets the eye.

Scenic designer Danielle Hodgins also achieved the seemingly perfect balance of imagination and detail. The set was minimal enough for quick scene changes and necessary elements of mystery, and elaborate enough to communicate the scene’s reality and its absurdist undertones. Hodgins’ pièce de résistance: Gertie’s kitchen, a brightly colored interior with topsy-turvy cabinets that mirrored a funhouse motif present throughout the show. The kitchen appeared cracked open in Act 2, illuminating the characters’ unraveling stories and deteriorating plans.

With a smart-mouthed puppet and a sassy cop lady, whose memorable line ‘Suck my a**’ more than compensates for the ticket price, SU Drama’s production of ‘Fuddy Meers’ is certainly not for the faint of heart. With its twisted plot, ‘Meers’ is also not for the traditional theatergoer yearning for that Mary-Poppins-induced fuzzy feeling. But ‘Meers’ will keep you guessing — and laughing — until the very end.

ecsciala@syr.edu

Published on November 6, 2011 at 12:00 pm