Neil Simon’s Rumors (now playing in Andrews Hall at the Sonoma Community Center through June 15) is a farce in the traditional way. There’s a staircase, an overly convoluted plot, six doors and plenty of props/set dressings to trip over.
Charlie, the vice-mayor of New York, is celebrating his 10th wedding anniversary with his wife, Myra. They’ve invited their eight closest friends, Ken (Jimmy Gagarin), Chris (Katie Kelley), Claire (Jenny Veilleux), Len (Max Geide), Cookie (Bright Eastman), Ernie (John Gibbons), Cassie (Chelsea Smith) and Glenn (Matt Farrell). All are successful, well-connected people. But now Myra is nowhere to be found, and Charlie is in no condition to host a party.
Director Larry Williams and set designer Gary Gonser have done a good job fitting a complicated set onto the Rotary Stage. Similarly, Roxanne Johnson’s 1990s evening wear costumes are amazing. The attention to detail is impressive.
There are some good performances here. Veilleux has a comfort on stage well-suited to the time period and a natural sense of timing that helps drive the scenes, but it’s Geide who really shines. The role of Lenny is legendary for the level of control, skill and energy needed to do it well, and Geide goes all in. His final monologue compensates for a lot of the pacing issues that plague the production.
The more challenging the comedy, the more precise the timing needs to be. And there are many scenes in this production that move exactly right. Usually, those scenes involve Geide, Veilleux, Gagarin or Kelley. The four actors work well together, playing off each other’s energy. However, when Geide or Veilleux are not on stage, the pacing tends to drop, and a lot of air leaks into the lines. This sabotages the momentum needed to successfully pull off the scripted hijinks.
There were some unusual circumstances at the performance I attended. So in order for me to produce an equitable critique, this required me to see the play twice (on consecutive days). In dealing with the situation, I saw a cast that showed impressive professionalism and artistic integrity.
Yes, the Sonoma Arts Live production of Rumors needs to be tightened. But I don’t doubt that given some time, the pacing issues will work themselves out.
I can also attest that yes, it’s still funny the second time around.
Sonoma Arts Live presents ‘Rumors’ through June 15 on the Rotary Stage at Andrews Hall in the Sonoma Community Center, 276 E. Napa St., Sonoma. Thurs-Sat, 7:30pm; Sun, 2pm. $25-$42. 707.484.4874. sonomaartslive.org.
