If you feel like you’ve just sat through a 90 minute sitcom at the off-Broadway play Under My Skin, there is good reason: This cute, frothy piece was penned by veteran TV writers Robert Sternin and Prudence Fraser, writers and producers of television’s Who’s the Boss and The Nanny. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, though the piece does have occasional jokes when a laugh track could be handy.
Kerry Butler stars as Melody Dent, a Staten Island mother and caretaker who is working for egomaniac Harrison Badish III (Matt Walton). After a fatal ride in the company elevator, both of their lives are taken and they find themselves in heaven. They are greeted by Angel (Diedre Friel), a sassy, tough talkin’ gal who agrees to put the two back on earth. Things don’t go as planned however and she ends up mixing up the bodies so that Dent is living inside Badish and vice versa.
The premise is nothing terribly original . In the eighties, a slew of movies in this vein were prevalent: Vice Versa, Like Father, Like Son, 18 Again, and Freaky Friday. Yet the story moves along at a brisk pace on Stephen Dobay’s polished set and the ensemble plays the material with some quality laughs.
Under My Skin plays at the Little Shubert Theatre, 422 West 42nd street between 9th and 10th ave. through June 8th. For tickets, visit www.telecharge.com or visit the box office.
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