Love, sex and the IRS

Cross-dressing comedies come in two categories: Stories about straight people in unusual circumstances ("Some Like It Hot" and "Tootsie") or stories about gay people struggling to be themselves ("La Cage aux Folles"). The River City Players production of "Love, Sex and the IRS" fits into the former group, thankfully without making jokes at the expense of the latter.

The RCP production opening tonight (Feb. 13) combines witty dialogue, slapstick, a hint of unfaithfulness and a rasher of mistaken identities and wrong assumptions in a comedy that is very much like the indescribable mung chowder gumbo being prepared for dinner.

The RCP has a host of new performers in this production. Aaron Arnold is Jon, and Kyle Vanpool plays Leslie, roommates who both are attracted for different reasons to the same woman, Kate (Kerry Brown). Kate and Jon are engaged to be married, but the play opens with Kate and Leslie messing around on the couch.

But that's not the real problem. The real problem is that Jon has been claiming Leslie as his wife for tax purposes, and the IRS has taken notice.

To fool them, John convinces a very reluctant Leslie to dress like a woman for the visit by the IRS.

Arnold, Vanpool and Brown play off each other nicely. Vanpool gets the big laughs and deserves them.

Leslie rips his dress falling off a ledge and comes close to being the yin half of a gay marriage, a considerably more unusual circumstance when the play was written 25 years ago.

Bart Elfrink also is very funny as the boozing, lecherous IRS man Floyd Spinner.

Sandra Shaw plays John's drunken teetotaler mother. RCP veteran Rich Behring is the nosy landlord Mr. Jansen, Regina Hagen plays Leslie's dumbfounded girlfriend, and Jerome Hulihan is a sleazy justice of the peace.

The show is directed by Meredith Elfrink in her directing debut for the RCP. The assistant director is Christine Beardslee. Judy Pratcher is in charge of costumes, and Tim Roth built the set.

sblackwell@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 121

Want to go?

What: 'Love, Sex and the IRS'

When: 6 p.m. today (Feb. 13), Saturday and Feb. 20-21; A show-only performance will be given Feb. 19.

Where: River City Yacht Club at Port Cape Girardeau restaurant