SIGN UP FOR FUNNY GOLF LESSONS AT MTC IN "THE FOX ON THE FAIRWAY"

The early history of golf may have occurred as early as 1297 when the Dutch used a stick and a leather ball to play the game. If you hit the ball with the fewest strokes at the target you won the game. Perhaps when in the 17th century in the Netherlands when you hit a small ball into the ground using a golf club that was the origin. Some called it colf or kolf, the Chinese chulwan, and it is known to have been banned in Scotland in 1457 because it distracted soldiers from practicing their archery.

No matter its origins, golf today is a popular sport in America, mainly for retired businessmen who guard their handicaps like a veritable right of passage and is now played by millions across the globe. Currently follow playwright Ken Ludwig as he leads his minions on to the fairway in pursuit of laughter thanks to Norwalk’s Music Theatre of Connecticut until Sunday, November 23 on a funny farce complete with slamming doors, perfect timing and wacking golf clubs.

The time is ripe for the 43rd Annual competition between the Quail Valley Country Club and its fierce rival the Crouching Squirrel Country Club so hop aboard your trusty golf cart to keep track of the competition. Take your gold clubs, sporty attire and ball and tee on to the greens and place your bets on the outcome. Josh Powell’s Henry Bingham from Quail Valley is all fired up that he has the winning secret weapon to finally defeat Sean Hannon’s Dickie Bell from Crouching Squirrel. The two, both sure of victory, make an outrageous bet on who will win.

Like ancient warriors from Greece and Troy, Henry and Dickie position their anointed heroes against each other until they realize they are both rooting for the same man. Wild flights of fury ensue as club employee Erin M. Williams's Louise pledges her undying love for the club’s newest hire Ted Gibson’s Justin Hicks, Missy Dowse’s Pamela sasays in to add her helpful advice and counsel and Annette Michelle Sanders’s Muriel, Henry’s wife, discovers what her husband Henry has promised Dickie if he wins the wager. All clubs at the ready, the fight is on to the finish and laughter is the winner of this game of hijinks merrily directed by Amy Griffin.

For tickets ($45-60). call MTC, 509 Westport Avenue, Norwalk at 203-454-3883 or online at musictheatreofct.com. Performances are Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.

What starts off as a friendly wager quickly escalates into a major marriage mixup as the stakes go flying down the fairway toward disaster and laughter.