The Shreveport Little Theatre opened its production of “The Fox on the Fairway”  Nov. 6, and the first night effort bode well for the run.

This was local actor Michael Blake Powell’s first outing as production director, and he showed a deft hand for evoking believable and broad, comedic performances from a veteran crew.

Powell was restrained, thankfully. He did not overplay the comedy, letting the writing and the performances generate the laughs. Too often, directors of farce feel the need to control their productions with a heavy hand. Powell presented the material like a great stand-up comedy routine. Each vignette lead into the next and the audience was left not wanting the set to end.

“The Fox on the Fairway” was written by Ken Ludwig as a tribute to the great English farces of the 1930s and 1940s. He described the origins of these farces in his introduction to the play script.

“They are all set in upper-middle-class England amid clerics and judges, teachers and students, youngsters and oldsters, where youth ultimately fools old age and gets what it wants. It typically has a broad, physical, knockabout quality and is filled with recognizable characters who find themselves in precarious situations. Great farces are minutely plotted, and part of the joy we take from a great farce comes from the beauty of the play’s architecture. When a complex story ticks along without missing a beat, then fits together perfectly at the end like a Chinese puzzle box, we leave the theater feeling exhilarated. The experience might be described as catharsis through laughter.”

The first night audience seemed to agree. The plot was full of the requisite mistaken identities, slamming doors and romantic monkeyshines made familiar in the romantic comedies of the period. The pace was furious and Ludwig made the stuffy world of country club membership a worthy recipient of some good-natured satire.

Sloan Folmer starred as Dickie Bell, the smarmy, conniving, smug raconteur of the “other” country club. Folmer was spot on opening night and captured the character and the intent with casual aplomb, despite the character’s hideous choice in sweaters. Unfortunately, Folmer missed the second week’s performances due to a medical problem. Those audiences missed a real treat because when Sloan Folmer is on his game, there are few actors who can better him.

John Bogan starred as Henry Bingham, the put-upon master of the perennial runner-up Quail Valley Country Club. Bogan has made a couple of comedic turns recently and has demonstrated a knack for creating characters that are appealing and repulsive at the same time. It’s a fine balance and one that will serve him in the future.

Anna Maria Sparke created a somewhat fading, but feline Pamela Peabody whose most memorable line was “Golf and sex are the only things you can enjoy without being good at them.” Sparke channeled a little Harlow, a little West, and a little Lombard into Pamela, and the result was appropriately naughty but nice.

Laura Beeman Nugent was hysterical as the manic Louise Heindbedder, a marginally sane minion of Bingham’s caught in the throes of romance, duty and a farcical mission to save the day … and the country club. Throw in a lost engagement ring, and Nugent carried it all off with an endearing, if annoying, prattle.

Adam Philley stepped out from behind the keyboards to tread the acting boards in this outing and showed that his arpeggio is not limited to the ivories. His Justin Hicks is, of course, the hero and the goat that every good farce thrives on and venerates. Philley brought the right amount of innocence, confusion and dismay to his Justin. It was even-handed and very watchable.

Local stage newcomer Nancy Dennis Campbell created a very pleasant introduction to the local scene as she brought the pugnacious Muriel Bingham to life. Her portrayal was strong, understated and totally believable – not to mention very Margaret Dumont. Audiences should look forward to her next performance.

Ludwig wrote, “I’ve written this play not only as an homage to the earlier tradition, but also as a reminder of the values that the tradition embodies, things like innocence, humor, good sportsmanship and honor. My hope is that it is still possible to come together in a darkened theater and embrace these values with a sense of joy. If so, there may be hope for us yet.”

If he had been able to attend the Shreveport Little Theatre production, he would have had his hopes fulfilled.