July 2017 - Let Us Entertain You: Funny Money
Henry Perkins is a mild mannered accountant who—up to now—has lived a pretty routine life. It’s his birthday, and he is looking forward to a quiet dinner with his wife, Jean, and their good friends Vic and Betty Johnson. Just a nice, simple celebration perfectly suited to a man who has little excitement in his life. That plan goes right out the window, though, when Henry discovers the briefcase he is carrying is not full of his papers, pencils, memos, etc., but stuffed with cash—lots and lots of cash!
That’s the setup for Ray Cooney’s wonderful comedic play, Funny Money. The show that delighted London audiences for two solid years, and then charmed audiences in France for over three years more, is making a stop at The Adobe Theater on July 7-30. Funny Money has entertained audiences wherever it has played. It is, after all, a situation many people have probably wondered about…what would you do if you picked up the wrong briefcase on your way home from work and it was full of cash? Henry decides he wants to keep it and get out of town. Of course, that is easier said than done. First, there are his dinner guests, the Johnsons—how to get them to go home so he and Jean can disappear? And who’s that knocking at the door? The police?! What else could possibly go wrong? A lot! When a man carrying Henry’s briefcase is fished out of the river with a bullet hole in his head, more police arrive to give Jean the “bad news.” Then, of course, there are the bad guys: “Mr. Nasty” and “Mr. Big”.
Appearing in Funny Money are Tim Riley (Henry Perkins), Jennifer Benoit (Jean Perkins), Sunny Greycloud Sampson (Bill), Neil Faulconbridge (Davenport), Eriks Zapeda (Betty Johnson), Daniel Anaya (Vic Johnson), Jesse Miller (Slater), and Vince Tomardy (A passerby). Director Andrea Haskett says the show is a lot of fun. “The thing about a great farce is the number of doors and timing. So come for the farce and stay for the shtick!”
Funny Money, directed by Andrea Haskett (Dancing at Lughnasa, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail, and The White-Headed Boy), opens Friday, July 7, 2017, and runs through Sunday, July 30. Friday and Saturday performances begin promptly at 7:30pm, and Sunday matinees start at 2:00pm. To purchase tickets, including Pay What You Will performances and SelecTickets, and for discounts visit www.brownpapertickets.com or www.adobetheater.org.