Review: Lewis Black's 'One Slight Hitch' is Full of Snags

Comedian Lewis Black's comedy "One Slight Hitch," running through Sept. 22 at The Arctic Playhouse, is about a wedding that goes awry. Unfortunately, the same could be said of the play's script.

Courtney (Malari Martin), a novelist, is planning to marry Harper (Daniel J. Holmes) at her family's house in Ohio. What Courtney doesn't know is her dopey ex-boyfriend, Ryan (Johnny Bender), has paid a surprise visit.

Courtney's well-meaning parents, Delia and Doc, are mortified by Ryan's presence and do what they can to keep him hidden. Meanwhile, Courtney's brash sister Melanie (Emma Dunlop, filling in for Julia Curtin) flirts with Ryan, and then encourages Courtney to get back together with him.

The youngest sister, P.B. (an appealingly spunky Addison Magiera), listens to music on her Walkman (the story takes place in 1981) and ends up doing most of the house cleaning, while Ryan walks around in boxer shorts the entire time. This is amusing at first, but after 90 minutes you wish someone would tell him to put his pants on.

Despite some sharp performances and polished direction by Kevin Thibault, "One Slight Hitch" is a bit of a mess, partly because the motivations of these characters are often incomprehensible. Doc and Delia's efforts to keep Ryan from being discovered make no sense. Why would they risk jeopardizing their daughter's wedding day by hosting a man she dumped? For that matter, why would Melanie flirt with Ryan, only to try to get her sister to take him back?

For his part, why would Ryan hitchhike across the country to see a woman who dumped him? Maybe he should have saved himself the trouble and called first?

Whatever the motivations behind all this, when they do meet again, Courtney feels such intense hostility towards Ryan that it seems impossible to understand how they were ever attracted to each other.

Courtney and Harper don't seem to show much affection for each other, either. As a result, the drama around which man Courtney will eventually choose is rendered meaningless.

Black also tosses in a bit about the wedding florist who ends up imprisoned on a drug charge. This subplot had some possibilities, but nothing ever comes of it.

Disturbingly, quite a lot of alcohol is consumed in this show: Courtney and Melanie hit the bottle when things get rough. These ladies need to seek out an Alcoholics Anonymous group.

But the biggest sin of "One Slight Hitch" is the amount of talent that has been squandered on this jumble of a story. Bender played the title role in "The Nerd" a few years ago. He is an engaging performer saddled here with a pathetic character; Ryan never actually does anything to win Courtney back.

Paul Oliver, a wonderful actor who appeared in "The Viewing Room" last year, brings heart and humor to Doc. Oliver is always a pleasure to watch, and he's in fine form here as Doc handles a series of absurd situations.

The saving grace of this production is Lee Rush, giving a magnificent turn as the high-strung Delia. Rush wins a lot of laughs as Delia suffers a mini-breakdown on her daughter's wedding day, fearing the event will end up being nothing more than a "catered inquisition."
There is also a sweet monologue when Delia gathers her daughters together and recalls how she met and fell in love with Doc. Rush and Oliver are so enjoyable together that I wish the play had been about their relationship. Their love story would've been truly something to celebrate.

"One Slight Hitch" runs through September 22 at The Arctic Playhouse, 1249 Main Street, West Warwick, RI. For tickets, call 401-573-3443 or visit thearcticplayhouse.com.