Though unacquainted with the script, I understood going in that Charley’s Aunt was a perennial of stage farce: British Comedy of Manners, drag humor, Dick Cavett once played the title role, etc. Set in 1892, amongst aristocratic college boys, Charley’s Aunt finds Jack and Charley in a quandary. Charley’s wealthy aunt is delayed and must cancel their engagement, thus depriving them of a chaperon and the company of Kitty and Amy. Their chum “Babs” (Lord Fancourt Babberly) shows up to nick their cache of champagne. Desperate to salvage their opportunity for skirt time, they badger Babs to assume the role of the mysterious heiress. As “luck” would have it, Babs is cast in a local comedy, and his lady’s togs are readily available.
Though their attempt at cross-dressing is crude at best, it’s convincing enough to fool everyone but the millionaire herself. Charley’s substitute Aunt just seems to have that certain something (!?) that others find irresistible. “She” cozies up to Jack and Charley’s girlfriends (leaving the boys stuck and steaming) and manages to cast a spell on Amy’s uncle and Jack’s dad. All of this with no particular effort. Naturally. Babs is thrilled by Amy and Kitty’s attention, and mortified by his amorous suitors.
In some ways, Charley’s Aunt reminded me of British pantos, where cross-dressing is an established tradition. The resulting humor more blatant, and yet more sly. Playwright Brandon Thomas probably owes a debt to Shakespeare, who thoroughly enjoyed gender bending. In the year 2018, when gender boundaries and talismanic attire are the subject of everyday discourse, Charley’s Aunt may feel a bit quaint. That being said, in the context of light comedy, it’s probably as good a strategy as any. Back in the day, innocence drove the punchlines. Of course the women snuggle up to a guy in a sloppy wig. Of course the impostor is a dude magnet. Rover Dramawerks’ Charley’s Aunt may leave a great deal of subtextual territory unexplored, but it undoubtedly makes for splendid, facetious comedy.
Rover Dramawerks presents Charley’s Aunt : playing September 13th – 29th, 2018. 221 West Parker Road, Suite 580, Plano, Texas 75023. 972-849-0358. www.roverdramawerks.com