Unnecessary Farce by Paul Slade Smith

(21)
Productions (345)
Farce
|
110 - 120 minutes
3 W, 4 M, 
Content Notes: Adult language
Set: Single set: two adjoining rooms in an economy motel.

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. But there's some confusion as to who's in which room, who's being videotaped, who's taken the money, who's hired a hit man, and why the accountant keeps taking off her clothes.

Play Details

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. But there's some confusion as to who's in which room, who's being videotaped, who's taken the money, who's hired a hit man, and why the accountant keeps taking off her clothes.

  • Farce
  • |
  • 110 - 120 minutes
  • 3 W, 4 M, 
  • Content Notes: Adult language
  • Set: Single set: two adjoining rooms in an economy motel.
  • Standard Edition ISBN: 978-1-62384-035-8

Published Reviews

"A smash hit! Two hours of non-stop laughter. The plot weaves you through mix-ups and mayhem you won't believe. This is one funny show you don't want to miss!"

Jim Fordyce, ABC 53 (Michigan)

"Nonstop hilarity. Gets us laughing in the show's first minute. Unnecessary Farce? Don't you believe it! Nothing could be more necessary for your well-being."

Kate O'Neill, The Lansing State Journal (Michigan)

"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... The Marx Brothers updated in tempo and relevance for today's world."

Tom Helma, City Pulse (Michigan)

"The laugh-out-loud comedy has everything one can hope for in a modern-day farce: two likeable cops operating way out of their league, a supposedly crooked mayor with impeccable timing, his innocent-acting wife, a shy accountant with a penchant for dropping her drawers, a nervous double agent who's like to get IN those drawers, a Scottish hit man whose brogue gets thicker the angrier he gets, two adjoining hotel rooms, simmering sexual tension and eight doors a slammin'."

Donald V. Calamia, Between the Lines (Michigan)

"A fast and furious new farce."

Kenneth Jones, Playbill

Production History

OCT 09, 2024 - OCT 19, 2024
ORiGiN Theatrical (Tea Tree Players)
Tea Tree Gully, SA Australia
ORiGiN Theatrical (Tea Tree Players)Tea Tree Gully, SA Australia
AUG 04, 2024 - AUG 20, 2024
ORiGiN Theatrical (Players Theatre - Port Macquarie)
Port Macquarie, NSW Australia
ORiGiN Theatrical (Players Theatre - Port Macquarie)Port Macquarie, NSW Australia
NOV 09, 2023 - NOV 19, 2023
Richmond Hill Players
Geneseo, IL United States
Richmond Hill PlayersGeneseo, IL United States
NOV 08, 2023 - NOV 19, 2023
Richmond Hill Players
Geneseo, IL United States
Richmond Hill PlayersGeneseo, IL United States
JUN 06, 2023 - JUL 01, 2023
The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center/The Studio Theatre Tierra del Sol
The Villages, FL United States
The Sharon L. Morse Performing Arts Center/The Studio Theatre Tierra del SolThe Villages, FL United States
MAY 26, 2023 - JUN 11, 2023
Edmonds Driftwood Players
Edmonds, WA United States
Edmonds Driftwood PlayersEdmonds, WA United States
MAR 10, 2023 - MAR 26, 2023
West Coast Players
Clearwater, FL United States
West Coast PlayersClearwater, FL United States
FEB 28, 2023 - MAR 04, 2023
University of North Dakota
Grand Forks, ND United States
University of North DakotaGrand Forks, ND United States
FEB 09, 2023 - FEB 26, 2023
Temple Theatre
Sanford, NC United States
Temple TheatreSanford, NC United States
FEB 03, 2023 - FEB 12, 2023
Monroe Actors Stage Company
Waterloo, IL United States
Monroe Actors Stage CompanyWaterloo, IL United States
1 of 35
No upcoming productions.
FEB 09, 2023 - FEB 26, 2023
Temple Theatre
Sanford, NC United States
Temple TheatreSanford, NC United States
AUG 16, 2019 - AUG 26, 2019
Theatre Echo Inc.
Tokyo , Japan
Theatre Echo Inc.Tokyo , Japan
AUG 09, 2019 - AUG 25, 2019
Milwaukee Chamber Theatre
Milwaukee, WI United States
Milwaukee Chamber TheatreMilwaukee, WI United States
JUL 26, 2019 - AUG 10, 2019
Mason Street Warehouse / Saugatuck Center For The Arts
Saugatuck, MI United States
Mason Street Warehouse / Saugatuck Center For The ArtsSaugatuck, MI United States
JAN 20, 2018 - FEB 11, 2018
The Keegan Theatre
Washington, DC United States
The Keegan TheatreWashington, DC United States
AUG 11, 2017 - AUG 20, 2017
Black Hills Playhouse
Custer, SD United States
Black Hills PlayhouseCuster, SD United States
NOV 02, 2016 - NOV 20, 2016
Playhouse Theatre Group
West Hartford, CT United States
Playhouse Theatre GroupWest Hartford, CT United States
JUL 01, 2016 - JUL 17, 2016
Millbrook Playhouse
Mill Hall, PA United States
Millbrook PlayhouseMill Hall, PA United States
JUN 30, 2016 - AUG 27, 2016
Opera House Theatre
Philipsburg, MT United States
Opera House TheatrePhilipsburg, MT United States
JUN 15, 2016 - SEP 04, 2016
Drayton Entertainment
Waterloo, ON Canada
Drayton EntertainmentWaterloo, ON Canada
1 of 6

Awards (3)

Thespie Award Winner for "Best New Show" in Lansing, Michigan (2007)

Winner of the Denver Post Readers' Choice Award for Best Comedy

Winner of the Texas "Locals Love Us" Award for Best Comedy

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