Take a trip down to the Connelly Theater in the East Village now until October 8th to witness an irreverent, comical performance by the cast of Felix & The Diligence. Set in Nantucket during 1944, the audience follows a group of memorable characters as they tackle life, love, and chance encounters abroad the Diligence, a fishing boat where, ironically, no fishing actually occurs.

Narrated and, at times, hilariously interrupted by Henley, the old blind man, wonderfully played by Nicole Spiezio, Felix & the Diligence is not a play with a moral or lesson to be learned. At the core of the production, it is, simply put, a slapstick comedy where improbable characters and situations merge from thin air. Add two men and one woman named Felix, a couple of sea monsters, a mermaid, two Nazis posing as shipmates, a world-renowned chemist turned sea captain, a Scotsman and a tap-dancing musician together on one stage and you have a performance tripping, whole heartedly, into the ridiculous.

But to expect a serious note thrown here and there for good measure would take away from the obscure humor, which is the reason why the audience is ready and willing to laugh at the most random of instances, including a brief love affair between a mermaid and the happy-go-lucky Felix and an imaginary sea monster adorned in a skin-tight pleather bodysuit. We also overlook the surprise appearance of a very ‘loose’ Amelia Earhart who also happens to be, coincidentally enough, a former love interest of the sea captain. The production is so outlandish I do not realize the captain is not intentionally a female lead disguised as a man, one that is fittingly portrayed by the petite understudy, Meagan Kensil.

Felix & The Diligence is what is it, a guilty pleasure. It is not meant to be intellectual or profound. In fact, it would be an absolute bore if it attempted to be serious. Instead, the play is reminiscent of great slapstick comedy that triggers boisterous laughter from both genuine pleasure and utter confusion. The cast plays off each other like a finely tuned improv troupe, making it a real joy to soak in and watch. By the end of Act 2, we expect unusual characters to come waltzing by or random sword fights to pop out of nowhere. We may ask why a Nazi would even have a sword when a gun is better suited for a fight, but to even ponder it would just take the fun out of it all.

With: Willy Appelman, Samuel Chapin, Fernando Contreras, Glenn Apollo Hergenhahn, Nathaniel Katzman, Meagan Kensil, Katelyn Manfre, Brad Mielke, Benj Mirman, Edward Raube-­?Wilson, Arielle Siegel, Allison Smith, Nicole Spiezio, and Mike Steinmetz

Set Design by Andy Yanni, Costume Design by Stacey Juengling, Original Music by Seth Clayton

Felix & the Diligence
Pipeline Theatre Company
Connelly Theater
220 E 4th St, between Aves A and B (Subway: F to Second Ave).
Running time is approximately 95 minutes with one ten-­?minute intermission.
Performance Schedule:
September 28, 29, 30 at 8 p.m.
October 1, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 at 8 p.m.
LATE NIGHT: October 1, 7, 8 at 10:30 p.m.
Tickets are $20 ($15 for Students with code STU15) and can be purchased through Smarttix or by calling 212-­868-­4444.