Farce is the feature at Friday Night Dialogues

Get ready to laugh out loud when “The Servant’s Last Serve,” an original comedy by John and Karl Kaasik, is performed as a staged reading at Friday Night Dialogues at the Library on December 5 at 7 p.m.

A “whodunit” that morphs into a “who is trying to undo it,” the farce was last seen in 2010 when it played to a standing-room-only crowd in the Presbyterian Church’s Fellowship Hall.

It is London, 1912. Due to a misdiagnosis from his incompetent doctor, wealthy Sir Winston Livingston believes he is going insane and does not have long to live.

He summons his staff and opportunist niece from North Carolina for a formal reading of his will. Livingston Manor falls into chaos when Sir Winston announces he is leaving the entire estate to his beloved cat, Master Fifi. Included in this announcement is the provision that should the cat predecease Winston, the estate would be divided among the servants and his niece.

Shortly after the will is read, Master Fifi goes missing. Imposter cats resembling him begin appearing and disappearing depending on Sir Winston’s whimsical amendments to his will. On the heels of the cabal of unlikely conspirators is Inspector Woodmore, the flask-toting sleuth from Scotland Yard, whose skills in deductive reasoning are only matched by his ability to misapply them.

Revised and shortened since its 2010 premiere, this new version was originally intended to be an entertainment for family. “Karl and I spent last fall re-writing it and were only going to do it for family and friends,” said John Kaasik. “Then the list started to expand, we developed it into a dramatic reading and, now, here we are in the library’s Community Room.”

But the cast still relies heavily on Kaasik family members, along with some help from veterans of the North Fork theater community. “I love the idea that I get to do this with my family,” John remarked.

The bumbling Dr. Bradsworth will be reprised by Alan Stewart; Leonard the butler by Philip Reichert; and the aging Irish groundskeeper will once again be played by none other than Jack Monaghan. Kaasiks fill out the rest of the cast: the playwrights as Sir Livingston (John) and the Inspector (Karl). Sisters Alice and Marian McEnroe play the cook and the dim-witted maid respectively, while John’s daughter, Katrina Kaasik, does a star turn as the money-grubbing niece.

And as for Fifi, well, you’ll have to see the play to find out about the cat.

Admission is free but donations are always appreciated.

After this performance, Friday Night Dialogues will take a holiday hiatus, resuming in January. In the meantime, join the community on Monday, December 8 from 4 to 6 p.m. for a farewell reception for Library Director Denise DiPaolo. Light refreshments will be served.