Edward Nattenberg (Back row, center) is the director of “Having a Wonderful Time, Wish You Were Her.” To his left are Scott Poitras and Courtney Shaffer, to his right are Amanda Fontoura and Che-Soto Vigil, and sitting in front of him are Patrick Kenney and Melaney Baker. (Photo by Joe Messina Photography)

Benicia Old Town Theatre Group’s production of “Having a Wonderful Time, Wish You Were Her” debuted to a packed house that laughed at just about every joke. Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore’s 1982 zany cringe comedy is packed with those, and with them being delivered at such a fast pace, this averaged to an audible laugh of just about every four seconds or so. The play is that funny.

“Wonderful Time” depicts themes of infidelity and the need to spice up boring relationships by centering around three couples. The play immediately opens with a pair of voluptuous lovebirds named Danny (Scott Poitras) and Kathy (Amanda Fontoura) bursting into a room, pinning each other to a wall and kissing passionately. You would think they were married, but they aren’t— well OK, Danny is, but not to Kathy. She just happens to be a young woman he’s dating while Danny’s real wife is away at a movie. Tensions arise when it is revealed that Kathy is dating another man, which Danny is not happy about (quite hypocritical, given his situation).

The next couple is Jennifer (Courtney Shaffer) and Paul (Che-Soto Vigil). Jennifer is in an unhappy marriage, but again, not with Paul. However, she is reluctant to cheat on her husband and balks at the amount of women that Paul has slept with.

Finally, there is Bill (Patrick Kenney) and Mary (Melaney Bell Baker), an older married couple about to celebrate their 29th wedding anniversary…even though they both think it’s their 30th. Mary seeks for excitement in their marriage while the slovenly Bill just wants to spend time watching his favorite war movies on TV.

All the scenes in the first act are funny, but the Bill and Mary scenes are perhaps the most engaging due to the other two scenarios being too similar to each other. Still, they introduce the characters well and as the play goes on, audiences see that all these characters are related, either as family or friends. This creates extra tension when they all vacation in Bill and Mary’s cabin for a weekend, which takes place in the second act.

“Wonderful Time” is set in the ‘80s— as the pop songs by the likes of Tears for Fears and Thompson Twins in the transitional interludes make clear— but its sense of humor is more along the lines of a ‘30s screwball comedy with the pacing of a Zucker Brothers movie. The lines are sharp, and the punchlines are quick. This especially becomes evident in the second act where all the cast is together, and the audience is treated to spit takes (which are never not funny), the threat of a ravenous bear and even an out of nowhere parody of Darth Vader’s Force choke scene from “Star Wars.” Yet, for all of its speedy jokes, it never feels disorienting. It slows down at parts, giving the audience a chance to laugh and not miss jokes.

A play is only as good as its cast, and these six actors deliver. Simply put, these characters could not have been cast better. The actors handle them with ease and play off each other fabulously. Poitras is the only BOTTG regular in the play, and he feels right at home on this stage. His command of the character and delivery of the lines are perfect. Fontoura and Shaffer are equally adept at flipping back and forth between various emotions from anger to shock to seductiveness. Fountoura also has a wild laugh that will inspire audiences to do the same, and Shaffer engages in great physical comedy, constantly pushing Paul away and shoving him out of bed. Benicia actor Soto-Vigil has already made his mark on BOTTG’s stage, wonderfully capturing Paul’s cocky personality and providing hilarious facial expressions along the way. Kenney and Baker are seasoned pros as Bill and Mary, portraying a believable and rollicking portrayal of the kind of couple everybody has known at some point. Put together, the actors all make a fine, exuberant ensemble that hits all the right notes.

Credit also must go to the technical staff, especially Veronica Bearce’s seamless sound placement and Brian Hough’s set design, which is minimal but does an effective job in capturing the look of an early ‘80s bedroom and living room. It is an impressive looking play.

Overall, “Wonderful Time” is just that. It’s an enjoyable romp that will have audiences laughing along the way. If you, like the characters in the play, seek to do something new in your relationship, then bring a date to this play.

“Wonderful Time” continues Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. through Saturday, Nov. 11. Tickets are $22 for general admission, and $20 for seniors and students. Doors open one hour before curtain at the historic B.D.E.S. Hall at 140 West J St. For information and tickets, visit beniciaoldtowntheatregroup.com or call 746-1269.

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