The University of Central Florida has one of the top theater programs in the state. Each year the faculty and students from this department collaborate and make performances that are entertaining and memorable. The Underpants, written by Steve Martin, is currently playing at the UCF theater. The show was fantastic! The actors were phenomenal, the set was very detailed in its design, and the costumes were delightful.
The Underpants is about a woman, named Louise, who’s underpants fall down her legs in public while at a parade. The story continues on to explain about her loveless marriage, her gossipy housemaid, and the two men who decide to rent a room in her house. The men only decide to rent a room in Louise’s house because they have fallen in love with her after seeing her underpants around her ankles.
The actor’s performances were exceptional. My favorite was definitely the character of Frank Versati, played by Jesse Hinton. Frank Versati is a poet who was at the parade when Louise’s underpants fell. He immediately fancied her and decided to rent a room in her house. Jesse gave a very comedic performance that had the audience laughing often throughout the entirety of the play. His character was obnoxious, amusing, passionate, flirtatious, and charismatic.
The set and costumes were beautifully designed and representative of the time period in which the play takes place. The set was the interior of a home in 1910 Germany. All of the sofas looked vintage, the woodwork looked worn and very old-fashioned, and the oven looked like an antique. At one point, the played called for Louise to burn her husbands dinner, and the oven began to smoke. So the effects were great, as well as the lighting.The play was also performed in a black box theater, so the audience was only a few feet away from the performers. Overall, I recommend everyone to see this production of The Underpants.