Due to an overwhelming response, the Mansfield Playhouse has decided to extend its showing of “Run For Your Wife” one more weekend, the first time an extension has been necessary in over nine years.
“It doesn’t happen very often, especially with the big main stage show,” said Director Mark Jordan. “I certainly got the impression from everyone that it’s much higher attendance than average. When you have that kind of a hit, it just makes sense to extend it.”
The British comedy tells the tale of a London cab driver named John Smith who has been living two separate lives with two completely different wives. When a mugging incident lands him in the hospital and both wives show up at the same time, Smith’s elaborate lie gradually begins to unravel.
Tasked with the job of juggling two wives is Eric Gustafson, who has played Smith in front of a rousing audience the past two weekends.
“Typically during this time of the year we see fewer numbers; I don’t know if it’s the show itself or if people are just itching to get out and do something entertaining rather than being cooped in their homes,” said Gustafson. “There’s some kind of interest in what’s going on up there and I don’t know what it is, but I appreciate more people coming out to support us.”
Ticket sales for the Mansfield Playhouse have skyrocketed during the showing of “Run For Your Wife,” with ticket sales showing more than 1,000 people in attendance over the show’s five performances.
“That is a fantastic number,” said Jordan. “I’ve already heard from some people who are planning to see it again because it’s so much fun. It shows people are ready and eager to experience a show like this.”
Jordan attests the high crowd numbers to the show’s fast-paced farce comedy at a time of the year when everyone needs a laugh. Gustafson said a few patrons have told him after the show that they almost couldn’t catch their breath from laughing so hard.
“It’s designed for maximum laughs,” said Jordan. “It’s fast-paced and crazy, it really lives on the edge, and that makes each funny thing even funnier.”
Gustafson said the entire cast of “Run For Your Wife” is very happy with how the play turned out, and with how well they’ve worked well together. He noted the cast is happy with how well they’ve worked with their audiences.
“When a crowd reacts positively to what you’re doing, it gives you more energy in order to perform better,” he said. “The more energy the crowd gives, the more energy we have to give back to the crowd. It’s a symbiotic relationship.”
Tickets for “Run For Your Wife” are available online at www.mansfieldplayhouse.com or over the phone by calling the box office at 419-522-2883 between 1 and 6 p.m., Wednesday through Friday.
Jordan noted during rehearsals the cast was able to run an entire performance in two hours, including a 15-minute break, but actual show durations can very thanks to one very pleasant variable.
“One statistic that struck me was during Saturday night’s performance, we ran 25 minutes over,” he explained. “That’s 25 minutes of pure laughter where we would stop and wait for the audience to stop laughing. To be on stage and to hear people laughing like that is a great thing.”
