you can never tell...

When Shaw saw The Importance of Being Earnest, he decided to show Oscar Wilde how to really write comedy. The result was You Never Can Tell, loaded with dazzling wit and pointed jabs at turn of the century British society.

Set in an English seaside resort, a young penniless dentist is swept up into the delightful world of a formidable feminist authoress and her three eccentrically-raised children, none of whom know the identity of their father. Invited to lunch, the dentist instantly falls in love with the elder daughter and must now negotiate a maze of family dramas, lawyers, and long-lost fathers, aided and abetted by a kindly old waiter. Shaw's beloved combination of dazzling wit and clear-eyed social critique makes this romantic comedy of mismatched parents and children a perfect holiday treat for the whole family.

Will lovers unite? Will the children ever learn who their father is? Will parents’ wills prevail? Will the twins ever shut up? And will these men survive Shaw’s “woman of the 20th century”? You never can tell.

(Above synopsis from the Remy Bumppo website)

so we saw this play Thursday night and here is my thumbnail review: LOVED LOVED LOVED the waiter! the farce was broadly played and clearly nearly all of the actors were having a lot of fun- perfect for fluff like this- a good time- light and airy but with a number of good jabs made along the way.... recommended.