Unnecessary Farce
by Paul Slade Smith

Unnecessary Farce Book Cover — Unnecessary Farce Cover

Highlights

Female

Male

120 mins Present Day Bare Stage/Simple Set Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes Comedy

Synopsis

Two cops.

Three crooks.

Eight doors.

Go. In a cheap motel room, an embezzling mayor is supposed to meet with his female accountant, while in the room next door, two undercover cops wait to catch the meeting on videotape.

In this riotous farce, there’s some confusion as to who’s in which room, who’s being videotaped, who has the money, who hired a hit man or why the accountant keeps taking off her clothes.

A laugh-out-loud cocktail of misunderstandings, revelations and unexpected arrivals, Unnecessary Farce creates a crime caper where the long arm of the law leads to rolling in the aisles.

Press Reviews

"Nonstop hilarity. Gets us laughing in the show’s first minute."
— Lansing State Journal

"Can a playwright re-invent the comic shtick of in-one-door, innuendo, out-the-other-door? In the case of Unnecessary Farce, the answer is yes. Smith’s play is dazzlingly funny, with one silly bit overlapping the next."
— City Pulse (MI)

"The laugh-out-loud comedy has everything one can hope for in a modern-day farce."
— Between The Lines

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Billie Dwyer Female, 20s-30s. A police officer, Eric’s partner. Excitable and entirely unthreatening, she seemingly lacks every skill necessary for police work, but is as eager to succeed as she seems destined to fail.	female	20s	Female, 20s-30s. A police officer, Eric’s partner. Excitable and entirely unthreatening, she seemingly lacks every skill necessary for police work, but is as eager to succeed as she seems destined to fail.
Karen Brown Female, 30s. An accountant, who has always taken pride in her accountant-like, professional demeanor – until this morning, when she finds herself filled with a sexual hunger and unable to keep things in control.	female	30s	Female, 30s. An accountant, who has always taken pride in her accountant-like, professional demeanor – until this morning, when she finds herself filled with a sexual hunger and unable to keep things in control.
Mayor Meekly Male, 50s-70s. An Innocent, with a capital i. An affable, gentle fellow. Not too quick on the pick-up, but a sweet, sweet soul.	male	50s	Male, 50s-70s. An Innocent, with a capital i. An affable, gentle fellow. Not too quick on the pick-up, but a sweet, sweet soul.
Agent Frank Male, 20s-50s. The head of Security at Town Hall, and, frankly, the wrong man for the job. Though he presents the confident, gruff exterior of a secret service agent (or film noir detective, even), he is frequently (and, at moments of crisis, invariably) a man frightened by his own shadow.	male	20s	Male, 20s-50s. The head of Security at Town Hall, and, frankly, the wrong man for the job. Though he presents the confident, gruff exterior of a secret service agent (or film noir detective, even), he is frequently (and, at moments of crisis, invariably) a man frightened by his own shadow.
Todd Male, 20s to 50s. Speaks with a pronounced Scottish accent. A professional hit man. Cool, quiet and perceptive when at his best, but more frequently an angry Scotsman – and the angrier he becomes, the thicker his accent gets, until he is entirely indecipherable.	male	20s	Male, 20s to 50s. Speaks with a pronounced Scottish accent. A professional hit man. Cool, quiet and perceptive when at his best, but more frequently an angry Scotsman – and the angrier he becomes, the thicker his accent gets, until he is entirely indecipherable.
Mary Meekly Female, 50s to 70s. The Mayor’s wife. Small in stature and unfailingly sweet, she seems, in every way, the perfect match for her husband.	female	50s	Female, 50s to 70s. The Mayor’s wife. Small in stature and unfailingly sweet, she seems, in every way, the perfect match for her husband.
Eric Sheridan Male, 30s. A police officer. A bookish, even-keeled guy who finds himself completely out of his element when called upon to express his feelings for a woman, lie to his boss, disguise himself as someone else and stand up to an armed mobster – while not wearing any pants.	female	30s	Male, 30s. A police officer. A bookish, even-keeled guy who finds himself completely out of his element when called upon to express his feelings for a woman, lie to his boss, disguise himself as someone else and stand up to an armed mobster – while not wearing any pants.