It’s a Friday night and shoe salesman Harry Witherspoon (Jaime Espinoza) hasn’t sold a single shoe all day. Like Sweeney Todd singing to his razor blades, so does Witherspoon to his shoes, as if they’re the only ones willing to listen; the poor, unfortunate soles.
“Three pairs of alligator pumps—check/ Two pairs of saddle toes in white—right/ Ten pairs galoshes for the rain/ And one shoe salesman going quietly insane,” he sings during “Mr. Witherspoon’s Friday Night.”
To make matters worse, Witherspoon’s broke and his rent is overdue. But our protagonist’s luck is about to change in the form of a recently deceased uncle, Anthony Hendin (Craig Scott), and the sizable inheritance he’s left behind. There’s just one small catch—Witherspoon must take his uncle’s “taxidermied” corpse on a glamorous vacation to Monte Carlo. The proposition came straight from Hendin’s will, and Witherspoon’s $6 million inheritance will be forfeited if the document’s instructions aren’t followed. Hendin’s lifeless body is strapped to a wheelchair during the trip, while a pair of sunglasses hides his dead gaze (think Weekend at Bernie’s).
As strange as the will’s specifications are—take Uncle Hendin gambling, skydiving, etc.—Witherspoon follows through on each dying wish, to ensure his inheritance. Little does he know, Witherspoon is being followed by Annabel Glick (Angelica Juenke), a representative of the Universal Dog Home of Brooklyn. The nonprofit was apparently Hendin’s favorite charity, as described in his will, and is set to receive the $6 million if Witherspoon fails to fulfill his end of the bargain.
I noticed a quick Easter egg during “Dogs Versus You,” in which Glick tries to convince Witherspoon to abandon his campaign for the inheritance. She flips through photos of the shelter’s dogs to appeal to Witherspoon’s sympathy. Among real corgis, labradors, and Shih Tzus is one shot of Lucky Stiff director Jarrod Zinn in costume as his canine character in Lompoc Civic Theatre’s production of A Dog’s Life.
“There are dogs in despair/ Who need shelter and care/ And who don’t have a bone to chew,” Glick sings. “You have pink satin sheets/ They spend nights on the streets/ It’s the dogs, the dogs, it’s the dogs versus you.”
But Glick isn’t the only character after Hendin’s fortune. Enter Rita La Porta (Kimberley Washington), one of Hendin’s ex-lovers and the culprit behind his mysterious, untimely demise. Accompanied by her optometrist brother, Dr. Vinnie di Ruzzio (J.R. Jones), La Porta journeys to Monte Carlo to claim the $6 million for herself. Madness ensues and what I’ve described so far is really just the tip of the iceberg in SMCT’s latest production—which runs through Sunday, Oct. 27.
“Something funny’s going on/ Now the plot is moving faster,” the ensemble sings during “Something Funny’s Going On”—basically the “One Day More” of the show. “With a hero on the run/ And a woman with a gun/ And an ending with a twist/ And a brother who is pissed.”
Arts Editor Caleb Wiseblood is always Feeling Lucky on Google. Send search suggestions to cwiseblood@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Oct 17-24, 2019.