Stage Review.- A Fox on the Fairway (Edmonds Driftwood Players)

Stage Review - A Fox on the Fairway
Presented By: Edmonds Driftwood Players - Edmonds, WA
Show Run: September 19 - October 12, 2025
Date Reviewed: Thursday, October 09, 2025
Run Time: 1 Hour, 45 minutes (inclusive of a 15-minute intermission)
Reviewed By: Greg Heilman

Ken Ludwig’s A Fox on the Fairway is one of those classic farces where timing is everything, and Edmonds Driftwood Players’ production hits its stride with a hearty dose of wit and wild energy. Directed by David Alan Morrison, this send-up of golf, love, and human folly tees off with a flurry of misunderstandings and mistaken intentions that would make even the most seasoned farceur proud. Ken Ludwig's work feels like a go-to when a theatre is looking to drum up laughs, and The Wade James Theatre in Edmonds feels like the perfect home for this madcap romp where doors slam, secrets unravel, and chaos reigns supreme, especially with the cast and creative team that David has put together for this production, which runs on Stage through Sunday, October 12.

David’s direction is crisp and aware of the play’s rhythm. He keeps the pace brisk without letting the humor feel rushed, leaning into the physicality and absurdity of Ludwig’s writing. The staging provides room for every gag to breathe, but it also allows the actors to present the comedy, providing an energy that is infectious. The result is a tightly wound, laughter-filled production that feels both classic and contemporary in its comedic sensibilities. There are moments, particularly in Act One, that feel a bit cautious and deliberate, but as with many farces, the energy builds through the first act and erupts in Act Two, where the pace and humor land squarely on par. The choreography of movement—more than simple blocking—is key here, and the cast knows how to handle the physical comedy with care, even if the early moments could loosen up just a touch.

On the design side, the set is nicely detailed, containing all of the necessary components of a country club clubhouse—in this case, the Tap Room of the Quail Valley Country Club. Rex Goulding’s design includes a fully stocked bar (arguably the most important part of any clubhouse), comfortable seating, portraits of the club’s most honorary members, and a fantastic view of the golf course visible through the upstage French doors and again out through and beyond the audience. It’s the kind of setting that looks ready for members to stroll in mid-performance. The sound, designed by Cooper Benson, strikes a fine balance between ambient effects—birds, outdoor atmosphere—and the actors’ voices, immersive without ever overpowering. The lighting design by Allysa Johns is highlighted by the projected colors outside those French doors, shifting gradually to represent time of day or weather with an impressive subtlety. And Melina Boivin’s costumes fit the farce perfectly—especially Dickie’s outlandish sweaters and golf-themed attire. When the group dresses for dinner on the eve of the final hole, the look skews more formal, but never too much, keeping the tone light and playful.

The play, like all good farces, relies on ensemble precision, and this cast handles the overlapping chaos with strong chemistry. Boyd Morrison as Bingham, the beleaguered manager of Quail Valley, gives the production's standout performance—his deadpan delivery of insults and exasperation toward everyone in his path is brilliantly executed. Ingrid Sanai Buron as Muriel, Bingham’s wife, once again proves why she is one of the most dynamic actors on area stages, and she knows exactly how to make an entrance. Her ability to convey a thought with a look—a side-eye, a raised brow, or a precisely angled body posture—is uncanny and consistently hilarious. Krista Marken delivers a confident and clever Pamela, landing her innuendoes with perfectly timed precision. Thomas A. Glass as Dickie embodies the rival club manager with a wonderfully slimy charm, bringing equal parts swagger and absurdity to his scenes and Branden Jepsen’s Justin and Megan McDermott’s Louise bring youthful enthusiasm and a sweetly frantic energy to their roles, though their wide-eyed naivety occasionally edges a bit too much toward the juvenile for my taste. A touch less youthful exaggeration might make their characters land even more effectively as the well-meaning but flustered adults they are written to be.

By the final act, and in typical farce fashion, as secrets are exposed and relationships reshuffled, the audience is left grinning—swept up in a whirlwind of laughter and absurdity.

With a well accomplished design and a cast that understands the multiple comedic aspects of a farce, A Fox on the Fairway doesn’t try to reinvent the genre; instead, it embraces its glorious nonsense, and in doing so, Edmonds Driftwood Players deliver a production rife with theatrical fun that’s more entertaining than a well-played round of 18.

A Fox on the Fairway, presented by Edmonds Driftwood Players, runs on stage at the Wade James Theatre in Edmonds, through October 12. For more information, including ticket availability and sales, visit https://edmondsdriftwoodplayers.org/.

Photo credit: Dale Sutton