ANDERSON — Even the most scrumptious recipes can fall flat if there are too many cooks in the kitchen.

The storyline of Mainstage Theatre’s latest farce shows this to be the case, but instead of a kitchen most of the action in this cute little comedy takes place in the bedroom.

“There’s a Burglar in My Bed,” written by Michael Parker, unfolds in the Massachusetts beach home of rich guy William Worthington III (David Whicker). As the play opens, William and his mistress decide to stage a burglary to ensure that an expensive heirloom necklace doesn’t wind up in the hands of Bill’s wife, Ashley, should the couple divorce.

But at the same time, Ashley Worthington (Sheila Schroeder) and her lover are also at the beach house planning a sting operation that will end the marriage and give Ashley access to half of her husband’s fortune, including maybe the necklace.

Both plans, while totally amoral and illegal, seem plausible for a fleeting moment. It’s the three accomplices who add spice to the story and allow this farce to live up to its genre.

Ashley convinces a tart from the country club to seduce her husband and a bumbling private detective to photograph the tryst. Billy gets his girlfriend’s sister to play burglar. With two overlapping plans and seven people prone to taking their clothes off, things do get intriguing.

The play has some very funny moments at the expense of the three helper characters, but then runs a bit too long and has an unfulfilling climax.

Instead of building up before eventually exploding all over the stage, the chaos of “There’s a Burglar in My Bed” stays at a low plateau throughout the second half. The Worthingtons realize far too late that their plans are shot.

The production is helped by a story that’s far better than Mainstage’s last farce, but the performances are more appealing, too.

Martin Stapleton nails the slapstick elements in the detective role. After two small parts in plays earlier this season, this is Stapleton’s first big performance that I’ve seen, if not the first of his life. At dress rehearsal earlier this week it was clear that he was enjoying himself.

Other parts are filled by Mainstage regulars, including Whicker and Ashlee Witham, who plays his mistress. This couple and the other (Schroeder and Sean Michael Johnson) play off each other extremely well during the cutsie “Oh we’re so in love” moments.

And while Schroeder stands out for her ability to express the anger and befuddlement written into her part, overall the natural drama of a troubled marriage and its repercussions seemed to get the bench for most of the play.

Eric Schroeder has now done three farces for Mainstage this season.

“There’s a Burglar in My Bed” is certainly not the worst. It maybe even ties for best.

I’m told these types of plays are well received, and although I don’t really understand why, I do know that community theater has an audience to serve. If you see this play and you like it, great. Tell all your friends.