Sept. 17, 2003

New Laughs for 20th Century

By Rachel Muir

Playwright Ken Ludwig dusted off the 1930s Broadway hit “Twentieth Century” and adapted it for the 21st, rewriting the bulk of the original script and significantly scaling down the original 30-person cast.

The revised play, premiering at Arlington’s Signature Theatre, follows the comic escapades of down-and-out producer Oscar Jaffe (James Barbour) who has a 16-hour train ride to convince his former protégée and lover Lily Garland (Holly Twyford) — now the toast of Hollywood — to return to the stage and his arms.

As imagined by Ludwig (“Lend Me a Tenor,” “Moon Over Broadway”) and artistic director Eric Schaeffer, the play lives up to its billing as a “screwball comedy” and then some. It’s ridiculous, over-the-top — and, for the most part, a lot of fun. Broadway veteran Barbour is particularly funny as the wily, bombastic Jaffe, while Twyford, resplendent in a platinum wig, is dead on as the tough-as-nails diva ready to throw a tantrum or swoon at a moment’s notice.

The supporting cast — its larger-than-life characters include a pharmaceutical heir who believes she’s Jesus, the disheveled star of a famed German Passion Play production, and a hapless agent/boy-toy given to malapropisms — is uniformly sound. The set is cleverly configured as a moving train with multiple compartments that shift back and forth with the action.

The play isn’t perfect. Some subplots work better than others and there’s not necessarily much in the way of a plausible storyline. But these shortcomings don’t get in the way of a good time. All in all, “Twentieth Century” makes for an enjoyable ride, and one that is well worth the price of admission.

“Twentieth Century” runs through Oct. 5. Tickets are available by calling 703/218-6500 or online at www.sig-online.org.

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