'Balancing Act' Yields Laughs

Retro farce, if done well, can prove laugh out loud funny, and playwright Frank Salisbury has accomplished just that in his comedy Balancing Act, in its American debut at the Falcon Theatre.

What becomes immediately clear while watching this two-person laugher is Salisbury's ear for comedic timing and witty banter, which certainly accounts for his numerous television scribe credits and multiple Emmy Awards.  Fortunately, screen is not the only game in town, even if Warner Bros. and Universal Studios are mere minutes from this Burbank theatre.

Balancing Act involves a scheming number-crunching crooked executive Eugene Ormsby (Richard Gilliland) and a persistently snoopy accountant Beth Washburn (Yeardley Smith).  On the eve of Eugene's escaping New York with a briefcase full of embezzled funds, a mousy do-gooder, Beth, turns up on his doorstep in hopes of smoking out the thief.  The fun comes as both their obliviousness to the others' true motives is washed away, as Beth has harbored loving feelings for her boss while Eugene contemplates offing this whistle blower before it's too late.

Such a premise is precisely what 1970's sitcoms and campy sleuth flicks flourished on, and when played out with the impeccable cast of Gilliland and Smith, no strangers to television themselves, one need only lean back and enjoy the laughs.  Salisbury does attempt to craft a suspenseful moment every so often throughout the play, but the show is best enjoyed as a silly comedy rather than an edge-of-your seat thriller.

Smith, whose voice need only be heard to recognize comedic talent, as she is the Emmy Award winning voice of Lisa on "The Simpsons," plays the clingy Beth with socially awkward ease, coming off much like a puppy having been pet for the very first time.  Constantly griping about her overbearing mother back home, this middle-aged, barley never-been kissed woman is a riot, as Smith squints and quirks her way through Balancing Act.

Gilliland, a television staple in his own right with such credits as "Designing Women" and "Joan of Arcadia," is a master at delivering the plentiful zingers that make up Salisbury's book.  His sarcastic drawl and seasoned stage presence works perfectly against Smith's uptight character.

Director Adam Carl shows his adept ability to elicit superb performances from an already accomplished cast.  Keeping with the 1970's New York City setting, designer Keith Mitchell has provided an IKEA-fied apartment, complete with kitschy décor and shag carpeting.  Jeremy Pivnick's ideal lighting and Denitsa Bliznakova's polyester costumes fill out the disco-era throwback.

Balancing Act proves to be a night full of zany fun and a much-welcomed flashback to old-fashioned fun.  

Performances run through May 6 at the Falcon Theatre, located at 4252 Riverside Drive in Burbank.  Tickets range from $25 to $37.50 and can be purchased by calling 818-955-8101.

Photos by Wesley Horton.