The comedy ranges from very funny to unnerving and disturbingly real
By Lucie K. Scheuer for Ashland.news
Rogue Theatre Company in Ashland has a way of bringing audiences very personal, transformational theater experiences that take place in a very small space. The subjects may sometimes leave you feeling compromised or even unsettled. But they will usually cause you to feel something — or make you think, and that is what good theater is all about.
“Ripcord,” a play by Pulitzer Prize-winning author David Lindsay-Abaire, about two older women sharing a room in a New Jersey retirement home, is one of those plays. The two ladies, Abby and Marilyn, of opposite temperaments and with completely different life views, are driven to try to force each other’s hand after they make a wager in the comedy, running through Aug. 3 at Grizzly Peak Winery.
Abby, a strong-willed, cantankerous woman (move over, Dorothy Zbornak) wants the room to herself. During a heated argument, Abby makes a claim that nothing scares her.
Marilyn is a glass-half-full, overly cheerful, mind-numbingly optimistic grandmother. She wants the bed by the window — Abby’s bed. Marilyn claims there is nothing Abby can do to make her angry.
It’s on
It’s only a matter of time. Who will cause the other to get scared or angry? Let the games begin.
The play, which builds on conversational sparring, becomes a geriatric duel of wits and pranks. At times it can be very funny and at others it borders on cruel. It is at times unnerving, sometimes a bit unbelievable and often disturbingly real.
There are some good laughs. Abby puts Marilyn’s phone number on Craigslist offering some of Marilyn’s possessions for free. In turn, Abby fills in Marilyn’s sudoku puzzles. The problem is, the pranks begin to escalate to a somewhat dangerous level and the humor gets lost.
Battle reveals the women’s pain
These ladies are definitely not the Sunshine Girls. In their efforts to win at any cost, the most painful aspects of their lives are revealed.
The actresses who play Abby and Marilyn are well-matched, on cue and so good, they don’t appear to be acting at all. Emilie Talbot, a Bay Area actor, director and voice artist, plays Abby.
Nancy Carlin, a former Oregon Shakespeare Festival actor and a theater arts lecturer at UC Berkeley, plays Marilyn.
Henry Woronicz, former artistic director at OSF has done a remarkable job directing a story and cast that takes us, with ease, through a series of scenes that include a haunted playhouse and a skydiving jump. It’s all becomes quite bizarre, thanks to Chris Sackett’s lighting, Claudia Everett’s costumes, Betsy Krausnick’s props and Mitch Hrdlicka’s technical direction.
Supporting cast member Barret O’Brien plays Benjamin, Abby’s suddenly appearing estranged son, who, we suspect, may be the cause of some of her angst.
Jamie Ann Romero (Colleen) and Mark Bedard (Derek) play Marilyn’s prankster daughter and son-in-law, and they are just the right amount of caring and obnoxious.
Stephen Michael Spencer plays Scotty, an aspiring actor and resident aide, determined to bring the two women together even though they’re giving him a run for his money. He definitely plays the most sympathetic character.
Unlikely, perhaps, but entertaining
There’s lots to this geriatric jumble. Some of it is over the top. Some of it seems as though it probably wouldn’t happen. But all of it is well-performed, engaging and entertaining.
“Ripcord” runs through Aug. 3 at Grizzly Peak Winery, 1600 E. Nevada St., through Aug. 3. Shows are at 1 p.m. Wednesdays through Sundays. For tickets and information, go to roguetheatercompany.com.
Ashland resident Lucie K. Scheuer is a former copy editor and staff writer with the Los Angeles Times, where her work included features, reviews and a column on films in production. Email her at [email protected].
