Neil Simon’s “Rumors” opens October 2 in The Naples Players’ newly renovated Kizzie Theater. In classical farce tradition, the production is full of slamming doors, misdirection, subterfuge, rampant rumors and jumping to outlandishly erroneous conclusions.
In the opinion of Naples Players Executive Artistic Director Bryce Alexander, audiences are in for an evening of sheer fun.
“You get to laugh, have a good time and, most importantly, do it supporting community artists and with your local community,” said Alexander. “So it’s a wonderful experience. The show is really funny and, of course, it’s in our renovated facility, so we’re excited for the community’s response to that.”
The premise is rife with intrigue, drama and laughs. NYC Deputy Mayor Charlie Brock and his wife, Myra, have invited four couples to their large, tastefully appointed townhouse for a dinner party.
“The show starts with a gunshot in the darkness,” teased Alexander. “And you never actually get to see the character that was shot, and so the entire time, these couples show up for a dinner party and are told a different rumor about where the host is.”
First to arrive are Charlie’s lawyer, Ken, and his wife, Chris. Finding Charlie bleeding like a stuck pig and Myra missing in action, Ken quickly constructs a lame excuse to explain their “indisposition” to the other three couples since the last thing his client needs is the bad press that would attend an accidental shooting or, even worse, an unsuccessful suicide attempt. As the other guests arrive, the story keeps changing and the confusion mounts before predictably devolving into out-of-control hilarity.
“You can’t go wrong with Neil Simon,” Alexander observed. “Everybody loves to laugh, and in today’s society about politics and things that happen between families and who said what, 'Rumors' feels as relevant as ever.”
Whether you’re looking for pithy social commentary or a night of sheer entertainment, “Rumors” has got you covered. It’s on stage at The Naples Players October 2 to 20.
THE BACKGROUND:
In addition to Charlie’s lawyer, Ken (played by Matt Schwabauer), and his wife, Chris (Aricka Rode), the other couples invited to dinner at the Brocks include Charlie’s highly excitable –bordering on histrionic – accountant, Lenny Ganz (Peter Caporal), and his wife, Claire (Shelley Gothard); a kooky psychologist, Ernie (Jodie Cameron), and his equally kooky wife, Cookie (Courtney Vanasse), who’s a television chef; and the battling Coopers (Aseem Upadhyay and Alanna Dachelle), a state senate candidate and a wife who abhors the thought of being marooned in Albany, hours from Manhattan.
Coincidentally, one of the characters in “Rumors” gets shot in the earlobe. Given that Neil Simon wrote “Rumors” in 1988, any reference to recent political events is purely coincidental.
Neil Simon is best known for “The Odd Couple” and “The Out-of-Towners,” but his other playwriting credits include “Murder by Death,” “Brighton Beach Memoirs” and “Biloxi Blues.”
“Rumors” was actually the first farce Simon wrote and, as is typical of all his plays, he incorporates humanity and pathos into his comedy, which gives his shows greater depth, feeling and a sense of timelessness.
Yet, “Rumors” does suffer from one glaring infirmity, at least by present-day standards. For all its strengths (and there are many), “Rumors” regrettably lacks the strong female characters that actors and audiences covet in a modern musical or play.
In Neil Simon’s defense, “Rumors” doesn’t purport to be great literary theater. It’s a farce in the finest tradition of the genre – unpretentious humor and light-hearted comedy in a world that has a tendency to take itself too seriously and be a little too politically correct most of the time.
KIzzie Theater is one of three performance halls inside the newly renovated Sugden Theater at 701 5th Avenue South, Naples, Florida 34102.
Individual tickets are $50-$55.
For more information, call 239-263-7990 or visit https://naplesplayers.org.