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Regional Reviews: San Francisco A Laugh a Minute Production of Neil Simon's Rumors Also see Richard's reviews of Any Given Day and Sugar
Rumors is a commentary on the irrationalities of urban wealthy professionals who just aren't sophisticated. Four couples arrive at a posh suburban New York home to celebrate the 10th anniversary of friends. The host (not seen) has injured himself in an embarrassing way and his wife is missing. As the rumors, cover-ups, confusions and miscommunications escalate, so do the laughs. There is so much going on in this two and a half hour comedy—a cook who's gone AWOL, a damaged BMW, a recurring back spasm—that is it hard to take everything in, but Simon, a master of one-liners, makes this a most enjoyable evening. Once again, Center Repertory has assembled some of the finest talent in the San Francisco Bay Area. We get to see fleshed out characters coming from real personalities which makes them even more uproarious. The group goes to great lengths regarding what really happened with the host's apparent suicide attempt that they even lie to the police, played wonderfully by Dorian Lockett and Amanda Denison. Mark Anderson Phillips as hyper accountant Lenny Ganz gives a comic tour de force in the second act impersonating the host for the police. It is an amazing, sidesplitting performance. Lynda DiVito is perfect as Lenny's anguished wife, Claire. Mark Farrell is uproarious as the excitable lawyer Ken Gorman. He steals many scenes with his silly one liners, and Jennifer Erdmann gives a spotless performance as his cigarette-withdrawal-suffering wife Chris. In one scene she gets so nervous about not finding a cigarette that she goes into the bathroom and lights up a Q-Tip. Michael Butler is appropriately dry and entertaining as naïve psychological analyst Ernie Cusack, and Kerrie Shawn is beguiling as his back-pain suffering wife Cookie. Ambitious politician Glenn Cooper is beautifully played by Gabriel Marin, while Sharon Rietkerk is wonderful as his sexy but suspicious wife Cassie. Rumors runs through April 28th at the Lesher Center for the Arts, Margaret Lesher Theatre, 1601 Civic Drive, Walnut Creek. For tickets call 925-943-7469 or on visit www.centerrep.org. Their next production is the musical Xanadu opening on May 18th and running through June 23rd.
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