Review: RUMORS at Theatre Memphis

Way back in 1961  Neil Simon’s COME BLOW YOUR HORN premiered on Broadway. Since then, he’s written over 30 plays that made it to the Great White Way. He’s even had a Broadway theatre named after him (which currently has the very un-Simonesque MJ: THE MUSICAL playing in it) and won a Pulitzer Prize (LOST IN YONKERS). For the most part, if you’ve seen one Neil Simon play, you’ve seen them all. THE ODD COUPLE, THE SUNSHINE BOYS and BAREFOOT IN THE PARK all have their signature formulaic cadence of setup, setup, punchline. Yes, there have been a few shows that dug deeper and brought out more than just his usual two-dimensional, self-absorbed characters (the BRIGHTON BEACH MEMOIRS trilogy, for example), but his greatest successes have been about upper middle class New Yorker’s who are quick-witted and acerbic. His characters are often neurotic and frustratingly stuck in ridiculous scenarios. It’s a formula that has served him well over the years and his 1988 RUMORS, now playing at Theatre Memphis, fits nicely into that enjoyable, but predictable canon.

Checking all his familiar literary boxes, RUMORS is about a group of upper-class New Yorkers (politicians, accountants and lawyers) gathering to celebrate Charley and Myra’s 10th wedding anniversary. Shockingly, before the party begins, Charley (the host) has shot himself in the head and Myra is missing. As the guests continue to arrive, they each realize the sensitive nature of the situation and scramble to protect each other from public scrutiny and potential legal consequences. The stakes continue to grow, and the absurdity of the situation escalates with each arriving guest. Under the direction of Ann Marie Hall (THE PLAY THAT GOES WRONG), all the laughs are mined and executed just as Mr. Simon must have hoped, but remain as nutritious (and filling) as a fluff of cotton candy.

Moments of subtlety or gravitas are nowhere to be found as comedic powerhouse actress Jenny Odle Madden sets the tone early for the rumors to start flying fast and furiously. As Chris Gorman, wife of attorney Ken Gorman (played by Chase Ring), Odle Madden is loud, over-the-top and goofy (in all the best ways) while contacting a doctor about her newly discovered friend (Charley) who has been found with a gunshot wound to the head. Played like a sketch straight out of “The Carol Burnett Show,” Odle Madden establishes the cadence for how the jokes are going to come for the next two hours and she masterfully finds ways to get even funnier by Act II.

Also showing her prowess in the physical comedy category is Renee Davis Brame as family friend Cookie Cusak-a socialite with a television cooking show-who has a bad back that has a penchant for shooting spasms through her body at the most inopportune times. Never one to let the pain or cascading drama around her dampen her optimism, Davis Brame’s doe-eyed persona and good-hearted demeanor heightens the laughs to a crescendo when she’s forced to walk around the apartment on all fours to alleviate the back pain. It’s not clear how this visual gem was created- Did Hall look for an actress who can walk on all fours OR did Davis Brame get the part BECAUSE she can walk on all fours like that? Regardless, it’s a win.

Other standout performances come from real-life couple Gabriel Tobias Kestrel and Rae Kestrel as Charley’s accountant Lenny and his wife, Claire. Lenny’s new BMW has just been rear-ended, and Lenny’s whiplash pain only seems to flair the more annoyed he becomes. Kestrel plays it loud, brash and gruff. It’s as if he looked up “New York City Tough Guy” in the dictionary and adds extra sauce. He’s obviously having a good time and so are we. Perhaps serving as the template for the very first ever “Real Housewife of _______,” Rae Kestrel underplays it perfectly while surrounded by a stage full of lunatics. The bigger everyone else goes, the more Kestrel downplays it to cut them off at the knees. Ironically, she does the least to garner the biggest laughs.

Amie Eoff’s costumes, Ashley Selberg’s wigs and Jack Netzel-Yates’ set design never let you forget this story is set smack dab in the middle of the 1980’s (who knew the 80’s would be so iconic at the time?), but the sound design (specifically the volume) is intermittent again despite the cast wearing microphones.

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