Majestic Theatre's 'Jack of Diamonds' Delivered Rollicking Humor

We gotta get these diamonds back and fast!

Majestic Theatre performed Jack of Diamonds, a fast-paced, witty comedy set in a retirement home. Jack and the eccentric residents of a privately owned retirement home fight to regain their savings, which were lost in a Ponzi scheme.

I love walking into shows totally blind. My first thought about Jack of Diamonds was that it would be a show about a card game. The Majestic Theatre’s Jack of Diamonds is a silly comedy set in a location you’d never expect for a mystery - a retirement home.

Jack of Diamonds accommodates a small cast. This is a challenging script with multiple scenarios and heavy dialogue, but thanks to a talented cast, they worked well off one another and excelled in comedic timing.

David Kennedy is wonderful as Jack, bringing a deceitful charm to the role. He knows how to talk to people with his past as a former jewelry seller. Another standout is Cody Goodwin as undercover thief, Barney Effward. It’s not easy to remain in a catatonic state, like Goodwin does, and react to nothing - not even the funniest scene ever.

With retirement home settings comes a band of memorable supporting characters. There’s Rose (Krystal Timinski), a visually-challenged techno-wizard, the forgetful Flora (Rachell Kerr), who is also artistically gifted, and the narcoleptic Blanche (Susan Casalinuovo), who falls asleep at the worst times.

As I have commended, and will continue to praise, no small part exists in the theater. Jim Calimeri has a short role as the elderly Wilf Gunnarson. Josh Sanborn performs two roles as Mortimer, a lawyer, and then as a cop. One of the best components about theater is that it gives several opportunities to experiment with different personas.

And then there is Nurse Harper, played exceptionally by Katelyn Tustin. Nurse Harper’s distaste for her job is evident. She still helps the residents, reminding us how important caregivers are. She accidentally befuddles the situation, leading to (hilarious) insanity.

Jack of Diamonds is a comedy. To say this show is funny is an understatement. The story is relatable in several ways, especially for certain audiences. Laughter erupted in the theater from people who really needed a laugh.

Comedy has multiple definitions. It’s all about comedic timing. Actors achieved this through delivery and comical reactions. The show includes suggestive humor, dark comedy, and bathroom humor.

The audience's reaction in Act 2 was wild! Nobody expected the play to take a comical ‘diarrhea-train,’ making it even more hilarious. Sound and lighting designer Mark Beland created rather unpleasant sounds, but that didn’t matter to audiences who couldn’t contain their laughter.

Speaking of which, theater is never without its helpful technical crew. The technical elements enhance the show through lighting, sound, and set. Matthew T. Morin, with help from the cast and crew, designed a realistic retirement home. The main set is a living room and dining room as the characters run about in the shenanigans.

There are also a couple of doors where situations occur offstage, like the famous bathroom scene. Hearing scenes only makes it funnier, leaving the situation up to the imagination. Audiences had a lot to say about the situations, giving their own commentary.

Director Carole Neveux understood the balance between slapstick and sincerity. Jack of Diamonds holds a special place in Neveux’s heart. She looked beyond the slapstick caper to study the interactions between the characters.

Majestic Theatre’s Jack of Diamonds was an enjoyable time. Neveux did an exceptional job with the cast, bringing audiences along for a rollicking time at the theater.