Michael Atteo (from left), Robert Svetlik and Jason Nettle star in "Love, Sex and the IRS." (photo by Erin Lartonoix)
UCF Conservatory Theatre presents ‘Love, Sex and the IRS,’ a farce full of twists of fate, sight gags and mistaken identities, opening Thursday, July 7.
Two male, out-of-work musicians named Jon and Leslie are rooming together to save money. Jon has been filing tax returns listing the pair as a married couple. But the day of reckoning arrives when an IRS investigator arrives — and Leslie is forced to masquerade as a housewife, with the aid of Jon’s fiancee, Kate.
The play is the first full-length script written by William Van Zandt and Jane Milmore, who worked on the story in the late 1970s in between filming scenes for “Star Trek: The Motion Picture.”
“Love, Sex and the IRS” requires intense physical labor from the actors and though the movements on stage may look chaotic, the UCF cast has meticulously planned the pratfalls.
“My dad raised me on Laurel and Hardy and The Three Stooges,” says student Jason Nettle, who appears in the show. “Farce is a different kind of acting technique. Usually the comedy isn’t written in the lines, it is in the body language.”
Cast mate Robert Svetlik has learned some unexpected life skills in his role of Leslie Arthur, the role Van Zandt created for himself.
“I’ve learned a lot about timing,” he says. “And I’m in heels running all over the stage: I have a good appreciation for women now that I’ve had to wear a bra and heels!”
WHERE: UCF Black Box Theatre, on the University of Central Florida campus near the intersection of University Boulevard and Alafaya Trail in east Orange County
WHEN: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 2 p.m. Sundays, through July 17
COST: $17 adults, $15 seniors, $10 students
CALL: 407-823-1500
CAST:
- Kate Dennis – Morgan Hodge
- Leslie Arthur – Robert Svetlik
- Mr. Janson – Jason Nettle
- Jon Trachtman – Michael Atteo
- Vivian Trachtman – Kelly Kilgore
- Floyd Spinner – Trevin Cooper
- Connie – Allison Walter
- Arnold Grunion – Jay Pastucha
PRODUCTION TEAM:
- Director – Christopher Niess
- Assistant Director – Jay Pastucha
- Scenic Designer – Bert Scott
- Lighting Designer – Jason Tollefson
- Costume Designer – Daniel M. Jones
- Sound Designer – John Valines
- Stage Manager – Katharine Lloyd