The Underpants, Noble Fool Theater Company. A woman’s underpants fall down during a civic parade, infuriating her husband and enrapturing two male spectators. They rent rooms in the couple’s house, hoping to seduce the flasher and delighting the voyeuristic spinster upstairs.
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Carl Sternheim wrote this play in 1911 as a satire of the European bourgeoisie. But adapter Steve Martin–yes, that Steve Martin–scolds the audience less, concentrating more on the characters and love quadrangle. He also adds a feminist twist: the submissive wife’s brief fame gives her a sense of self-worth. Such smart human observations balance out some of the humor, “modernized” to an “I see London, I see France” level. One dinner discussion formerly centered on leg of lamb now opens with, “How would you like your wiener grilled?”
