Isabel Keating and Michael McCormick Photo by T. Charles Erickson

Here's what goes on during the introduction. Charlotte Sanders (Isabel Keating) and her husband Arthur (Michael McCormick), playwrights who hope to collaborate on a hit script, walk about in a posh sitting area near their room in Newport. They are about to meet Oliver Adams (Rodolfo Soto) a nervous young fiction writer who has produced a novel and now has a contract offer from a major publishing house. Charlotte and Arthur think they can turn the fiction into a snappy play, but Oliver has a significant reason for balking. He once met sexy actress Margot Bell (Mia Pinero) and, while Oliver hopes and/or imagines that he and Margot might become a couple since his novel is something of a love letter to her, they may actually be little more than correspondents. The mansion walls allow for easy eavesdropping and it becomes apparent during the second act that Margot and actor Victor Pratt (Michael McCorry Rose) were the ones producing grunts, groans, and far more pleasant utterances while entangled in an unseen bedroom. Erin Noel Grennan plays Olga, the smart maid who cannot be ignored, one who does not seem to adore other human beings. She comes across as both clever and observant. Grennan's accent is just delicious and her commentary as the plot unfolds is both knowing and sarcastic.

Director Mark Shanahan paces the production with vigor, and set designer James J. Fenton has created a nifty locale. Prop supervisor Anya Kutner obliges with specificity. A suitcase, for example, is definitely an archival find from seventy-plus years back. The production elements swiftly move those watching directly backward in time.

If there isn't a major message in this adaptation, that's just fine: no violence or catharsis or hidden meaning. Even if you happen to be a theatregoer who wishes to attend only when theme is intricate or comedy wry and complicated, this presentation might very well have you chortling. Paul Slade Smith, from Connecticut and now living in Brooklyn, is an actor as well as a playwright and his Theatre People is snappy and inviting. The actors are disciplined and energetic.

Erin Noel Grennan, whose Olga is a hoot and a half, happens to be married (in real life) to Paul Slade Smith. She brings a host of regional theatre and multiple TV credits with her. Olga trudges around but she's taking it all in. The character is simultaneously wry and scene-stealing. Isabel Keating's Charlotte is determined to get hold of Oliver's novel. The proceeds from a top play could yield necessary dollars to Charlotte and Arthur. Charlotte possesses a way with words and is dexterous enough to quickly come up with a short play of her own. This is pivotal as the story unfolds and Keating's various talents enable a rich depiction of the character. Arthur Sanders (Michael McCormick) has his best lines after intermission and he capitalizes upon his opportunities. Mia Pinero's Margot is sultry as she exaggerates her presence and role. Michael McCorry Rose renders Victor with eye-catching physicality (watch for his arm-flapping exhibition). The actor snags and holds the spotlight during that sequence. The observant Olga briefly emulates Victor's gesturing.

Theatre People affords an opportunity for release. The cast members embellish dialogue and, thanks to their own know-how and Shanahan's deft direction, maximize many, many comic opportunities. The production is very much a group experience which would fall flat if any of its parts (or performers) were lacking. It is quite catchy play, a wise find for people of the theatre.

Theatre People runs through April 12, 2025, at Westport Country Playhouse, 25 Powers Ct., Westport CT. For tickets and information, please call 203-227-4177 or visit westportplayhouse.org.