First Folio Theatre, at Mayslake Peabody Estate, 31st St. & Rt. 83, has announced the addition of 5 more performances to its run of UNNECESSARY FARCE due to overwhelming ticket sales.  Paul Slade Smith’s hit comedy, expertly acted, directed and designed, has garnered universal rave reviews.  “A 'Farce' this good ought to be a crime!” said Kerry Reid from the Chicago Tribune.  Pioneer Press called it “Exuberant!” and the Daily Herald raved that UNECESSARY FARCE is a “bona fide gut-busting laugh-a-thon!” 

The added performances of this side-splitting production are as follows:

Sun., Feb. 26, 7:30 pm

Thu., Mar. 1, 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm

Sat., Mar. 3, 4:00 pm

Sun., Mar. 4, 7:30 pm

  First Folio Theatre, now in its 15th season of bringing high quality performances of Shakespeare and other classics to the Chicagoland suburbs, will feature the Chicago Premiere of UNNECESSARY FARCE through Sunday, March 4.

When Billie and Eric, a pair of inept police officers, set up a sting operation to trap the crooked mayor, nothing can go wrong---unless everything goes wrong!  Set in a pair of matching hotel rooms, UNNECESSARY FARCE is filled with doors slamming, clothes flying, and bagpipes bleating, all of which adds up to an over-the-top tale of mix-ups and mayhem that’s laugh out loud funny from start to finish.  This quick-paced and expertly crafted comic masterpiece has been called a “Laugh ‘till you weep comedy!” by the Fort Worth Star Telegram and WLAJ radio raved that UNNECESSARY FARCE is "Two hours of non-stop laughter!"

UNNECESSARY FARCE stars Erin Noel Grennan as Officer Billie Dwyer, Kevin McKillip as Officer Eric Sheridan, Molly Glynn as Karen Brown, Joe Foust as the deadly Todd, Jeannie Affelder as Mary Meekly, Raymond Fox as Agent Frank, and the legendary Dale Benson as Mayor Meekly.   

Author Paul Slade Smith spent fourteen years in Chicago, working as an actor at First Folio (Much Ado About Nothing), and at Chicago Shakespeare, Drury Lane Oakbrook, Goodman, Marriott, Steppenwolf, and many others.  Six months prior to joining the national tour of The Phantom of the Opera, Smith began the first draft of what would become Unnecessary Farce.  Since its debut in 2006 at Michigan’s BoarsHead Theater, Farce has been performed in seventy-five productions in countries including Canada, Great Britain and Australia, and translated into French and German. Smith is currently appearing as “Dr. Dillamond” in the national tour of Wicked, and working on his next play, A Real Lulu.  

  All performances take place at the Mayslake Peabody Estate, which is owned and operated by the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County. Indoor shows are presented in Mayslake hall, a 35-room Tudor Revival style mansion originally built by coal baron Francis S. Peabody. Completed in 1922, the mansion is on the National Registry of Historic Places. Located at 1717 W 31st St., just off Rt. 83, in Oak Brook, First Folio is easy to get to from either the East-West Tollway (I-88) or the Stevenson Expressway (I-55). Free parking is available on the grounds.

UNNECESSARY FARCE runs February 1 through March 4 Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sunday Matinees at 3 p.m. Tickets range $30-37 with special discounts for Students and Seniors. Tickets for preview performances are $22.  Season subscriptions and individual tickets may be purchased by calling the box office at 630.986.8067 or online at www.firstfolio.org.