Like a comedic slice of "Masterpiece Theatre," Nell Benjamin's 2014 play "The Explorers' Club" makes a rather plummy, intermittently amusing landing on stage at Thalian Hall's Ruth and Bucky Stein Studio Theatre in "Downton" Wilmington.
Directed by Holli Saperstein for Big Dawg Productions, and running through Sunday, Aug. 23, "The Explorers' Club" is set during late 19th century Victorian England in the posh club of the title, a refuge for Men of Science (they even have their own science song).
The conflict comes in when timid botanist Lucius Fretway (Beau Mumford, compelling) proposes for club membership one Phyllida Spott-Hume (a disarming Tamica Katzmann), an anthropologist and, more importantly, a woman.
But not only does Lucius have to convince
the all-male club members to admit her, but he also has to fight for her affections with intrepid, not-so-bright explorer Harry Percy (impressive Wilmington newcomer Neil Henderson), whose claim to fame is discovering the "East Pole."
It's a goofy comedy of manners sending up the toxic masculinity and sexism of British society, complete with a love of bad puns, murderous monks kicking folks' heads clean off and a delightful, Smurf-like "savage" named Luigi (a wonderfully feral Blair Houtz) who Phyllida has imported from the South Pacific.
The accents are here, there and everywhere, but you'll definitely have a laugh or two, especially if you're an anglophile.
Now let's see what else is going on in Wilmington this weekend.
Weekend weather outlook
After a blisteringly hot week, we should get a little relief this weekend. Unfortunately, it will be in the form of rain. Good chance of storms Friday, Saturday and Sunday, highs near 90.
Go | See | Do
It's the last weekend before school starts for most children in our area, so — especially for those of us with kids — let's make the most of it. Lots of live music and theater to check out, as well as some comedy and film screenings. Link to full list of 16 options below.
The Dish with Port City Foodies
A restaurant in Wilmington's Brooklyn Arts District makes a very public cry for help. Plus, Wilmington's favorite pizza spot (as voted on by our readers) and a look back at Wilmington's oldest restaurants.
Getting to know Fort Fisher
A weather-worn sign at Fort Fisher State Historic Site in southern New Hanover County refers to the "Old River Road from Wilmington." We looked into the history, link to full story below.
News you can use
A Wilmington-shot ABC series drops a new trailer and announces a season-two premiere date. Plus, we review a high-flying production of "West Side Story" at Thalian Hall, and what to know about the first weekend of high school football.
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This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Plummy play will take you to 'Downton' Wilmington, plus your weekend
