It is every woman’s biggest dilemma: what to do if one suspects one’s friend’s new lover is a deranged serial killer. They can’t just tell her; she may never speak to them again. This is the problem in Wendy MacLeod’s Women in Jeopardy, now at the Lucky Penny Community Arts Center through Nov. 3.
In this zany comedy billed as Thelma and Louise meets The First Wives Club, Mary (Taylor Bartolucci) and Jo (Sarah Lundstrom) don’t like their friend Liz’s (LC Arisman) new boyfriend, Jackson (John Browning). On top of his odd humor, obsession with teeth and questionable taste in movie lending, there is a lurking suspicion that he murdered his dental hygienist.
Since Liz won’t listen to reason, there is only one (or two or three) thing(s) to do. These include trying to turn Liz’s dim daughter, Amanda (Emma Sutherland), into a covert operative; going to police Sgt. Kirk Sponsüllar (also John Browning) to point fingers and maybe get a date; or involving Amanda’s ex-boyfriend, Trenner (Mateo Escobedo), in increasingly convoluted and kooky attempts to save Liz, save the hygienist and return in time to do their Fun Run for Cervical Cancer while they’re at it.
The script is a fun, fluffy bit of escapism, and director Alexander Gomez’s cast does the comedy well. It’s worth repeating: Comedy is hard. It takes a specific sort of mathematical precision to get comedy right. With impeccable timing creating a consistently funny show, this cast shows their proficiency in comedic arithmetic.
Bartolucci and Lundstrom have great chemistry and balance each other well on stage. LC Arisman is a fearless performer. Her portrayal of Liz was somehow over the top yet completely in control. Sutherland’s Amanda is silliness in a push-up bra that somehow feels both innocent and risqué and is a lot of fun to watch. Escobedo’s youth works in his favor to create a believable relationship misunderstanding, but his portrayal also shows some surprising vulnerability, which keeps his stereotypical F-Boy character sympathetic.
Then there is Browning. He has become an ubiquitous actor in the North Bay. Chances are that most audience members would have seen him in one comedy or another, which makes sense. As this play showcases, he is exceptionally skilled at silliness.
For those who want a cozy mystery with a light-hearted feel instead of a more traditional spooky season show, this feel-good, laugh-out-loud show is the one.
‘Women in Jeopardy’ runs through Nov. 3 at the Lucky Penny Community Arts Center. 1758 Industrial Way, Napa. Fri–Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2pm. $30 – $40. 707.266.6305. luckypennynapa.com.
